What the parasitology requisition is for
This is the Public Health Laboratory’s form for detecting parasites directly: ova and parasites in stool, pinworm, special stool tests, blood and tissue parasites, malaria confirmation and identification of ticks, worms and other ectoparasites. Version 1.0 dates from June 2026. Parasite antibody testing sits on the separate Zoonotic Diseases and Emerging Pathogens requisition, which is the most common mix-up.
Who completes it
The ordering practitioner completes and signs the requisition. The lab fills in the date received and the laboratory-use box. Highlighted fields are mandatory.
How to fill in the requisition
Section 1: Patient and provider information
Enter the personal health number, name, date of birth, sex, address and contact number. The sample container and the requisition must carry two matching unique identifiers, or the sample won’t be processed. Give the collection date and time, the ordering practitioner’s name, MSP number and delivery address, and up to three copy recipients. Sign and date the form.
Clinical and travel history
Tick asymptomatic or symptomatic and select the symptoms: fever, gastrointestinal, skin lesion, ocular, respiratory or other. Mark immunocompromise. Give travel dates and locations and any immigration or refugee history, which guide the lab’s choice of tests.
Sample type
Choose the sample: EDTA blood or smears, unpreserved or preserved tissue or fluid with its source and fixative, corneal or skin scraping, unpreserved feces, feces in SAF, a fecal swab, urine, a pinworm paddle, a worm or proglottid, or a tick with its host.
Section 2: Tests requested
Order ova and parasites with an optional query organism, a pinworm exam, or special stool tests. For blood and tissue parasites, tick microscopy, culture or PCR against the organism. For malaria, state whether you want confirmation, species identification or investigation of a discrepant result, and record the referring lab’s smear and rapid test results.
Common reasons it’s delayed
- Identifiers on the container don’t match the requisition.
- An approval-required test is ticked without prior approval.
- Stool added to SAF more than 30 minutes after collection, or contaminated with urine or water.
- A pinworm paddle or tape preparation contaminated with feces.
- No travel or immigration history when the query depends on it.
Submitting and who pays
The sample and requisition go to the Public Health Laboratory at 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver. The second page gives collection instructions for feces, urine, ticks, worms, malaria blood and pinworm. The eLab Handbook lists other tests and sample requirements. The requisition has no billing section.