ABSTRACT

The viability assessment in cystic echinococcosis is important for in vitro and in vivo studies and also drug experiments. Several vital and avital stains like neutral red, methylene blue, eosin, Papanicolao, Giemsa, Ziehl-Neelsen, toluidine blue and trypan blue have been used to assess viability of protoscolexes in fertile cysts. In this study, the viability of 10 different fertile cysts were analyzed by trypan blue, eosin and methylene blue staining techniques which have been used frequently in recent years. A total of 2000 protoscolexes per hydatid cyst were examined by all three staining techniques. The obtained results were analyzed statistically by the one-way ANOVA test. The mean numbers of viable protoscolexes in examined cysts according to trypan blue, methylene blue and eosin staining techniques were 1430±172.9 (1150–1709), 1376.4±101.1 (1169–1521) and 1342±147.9 (1119–1608), respectively. The highest viability rate was determined with the trypan blue staining technique (71.5%), followed by 68.8% with methylene blue and 67.1% with eosin. No statistically significant differences (p>0.05) were observed among the staining techniques. As a result, it was found that all three staining methods have similar results in viability assessment of hydatid cysts.