What is the basis for the recommendation that three stools should be collected on alternate days, rather than three days in a row or three in one day?
Intestinal protozoa are shed in the stool on a cyclic basis. It is generally accepted that this time frame is approximately 10 days, so if specimens are collected too close together, sampling may occur at a low point in the cycle and the organisms may be missed. By collecting specimens over a wider time frame, days with heavier shedding may be sampled, as well.
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