Comparison between five coprological methods for the diagnosis of Balantidium coli cysts in fecal samples from pigs

is a protozoan that can infect humans and non-human primates, being the domestic pigs the animals most affected by this parasite. This study aimed to compare the performance of five coprological methods for diagnosis of cysts in fecal samples from pigs. From September to December 2019, 558 fecal samples were collected from the rectum of backyard pigs in the Bucaramanga metropolitan area, Colombia. The average age of the sampled animals was 3-4 months. Fecal samples collected were tested using the following coprological techniques: Direct examination with Lugol's iodine solution, buffered saline, centrifugation/flotation and McMaster techniques, and Ziehl-Neelsen method. The results indicate that cysts were diagnosed most frequently through direct examination with Lugol's iodine solution (52.7% of the samples) followed by direct examination with a buffered saline solution (37.6%). Moderate concordance (k=0.41; p