Proper technique ensures that the entire area on the slide is read only once with no overlap or deletions. This provides the most accurate and precise enumeration.
Scan the entire well slide systematically in a top-to-bottom or side-to-side pattern using a minimum of 200X magnification and FITC fluorescence. Organisms which resemble Giardia or Cryptosporidium by FITC fluorescence are examined using DAPI and DIC.
Each row or column should be equal to or slightly less than the height or width of one field of view.