Urinalysis and Body Fluids 6th Edition by Majorie DiLorenzo, Susan Strasinger

Exercise 38

Large orange-red droplets seen on direct microscopic examination of stools mixed with Sudan III represent:

A. Cholesterol

B. Fatty acids

C. Neutral fats

D. Soaps

Step 1 of 2

Fecal fat:

Increases of fat in feces is called steatorrhea. To detect the fecal fat, microscopic examination is performed on feces.

• Qualitative procedure is performed to measure the cholesterol ester and extra unstained phospholipids

• The followings are the lipids which are included when performing microscopic examination:

o Neutral fats also called as triglycerides

o Fatty acid salts

o Fatty acids

o Cholesterol

• The above lipids can be viewed when staining the feces with the following stains:

o Sudan III

o Sudan IV

o Oil red O

• Neutral fats can be viewed when staining it with the Sudan III.

o It is viewed as large “orange-red droplets” at the cover slip edge.

Therefore, when staining the feces with Sudan III and performed microscopic examination, the large orange-red droplets indicate the “neutral fats”. Hence, the correct answer is option.