Table 3.

Fecal Diagnostic Tests Commonly Employed for GI Disease in the Common Marmoset

Test	Indication	Comments
Fecal/rectal culture	Abnormal stool, suspect bacterial pathogen	Recommended as initial fecal diagnostic; determine which bacteria present within GI tract
Fecal EIA	Abnormal stool, suspect protozoal pathogen	Recommended as initial fecal diagnostic; EIA kits commercially available to detect protozoa: Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Entamoeba
Fecal flotation test	Abnormal stool, suspect parasites	Recommended for animals with access to outdoor enclosures or new arrivals; kits commercially available
Direct fecal smear/wet mount prep	Abnormal stool, suspect protozoal pathogen or ova	Simple and easy to perform with light microscope; Giardia may be detected, but EIA is more sensitive; inexpensive
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing	Culture of pathogenic bacterial species	Performed on culture of bacteria; facilitates determination of appropriate antibiotic choice and monitoring trends in antibiotic resistance
E. coli virulence factor PCR	Culture of E. coli, suspect pathogenic strain of E. coli (EPEC)	Performed on fecal/rectal culture that grows E coli; virulence factors may distinguish pathogenic strains from normal commensal bacteria
Fecal occult blood	Suspect blood present in stool	Can be used to confirm blood present in stool when difficult to discern with naked eye; kits commercially available

EIA = enzyme immunoassay; EPEC = enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli); GI = gastrointestinal; PCR = polymerase chain reaction.