Comparative study of cultivation of feces in vermiculite or charcoal to obtain larvae of Strongyloides venezuelensis.

INTRODUCTION: We compared feces culturing in charcoal or vermiculite to obtain Strongyloides venezuelensis larvae. METHODS: Feces (5 g) from infected rats was mixed with vermiculite (10 g) or coal (10 g) in plastic cups and incubated at 28°C for 48 h. Larvae were recovered using Baermann-Moraes method. RESULTS: Significantly higher number of positive larval cultures were recovered from vermiculite than from charcoal (15/17 and 4/17, respectively; p < 0.001; 990.6 ± 307.5 and 215 ± 78.1 larvae, p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Vermiculite yields more larvae and provides cleaner pellets, improving larvae identification and facilitating their use for other purposes.