O&P

An ova and parasite (O&P) exam is a microscopic evaluation that is used to look for parasites that have infected the lower digestive tract. The parasites are shed from the lower digestive tract into the stool. When thin smears of fresh or preserved stool are put onto glass slides and stained, the parasites and/or their eggs (ova) or cysts, the form in which the parasite is surrounded by a resistant cover or capsule, can be detected and identified under the microscope by a trained laboratorian.