Use of RNAlater as a preservation method for parasitic coprology studies in wild-living chimpanzees.

We evaluated the use of an RNA stabilisation buffer, RNAlater (Ambion, Austin, Texas), as a preservation medium for parasitic coprology analysis of faecal samples collected from chimpanzees living in the wild (Pan troglodytes troglodytes). Thirty faecal samples collected in the forests of south-east Cameroon (Mambele area) from 2003 to 2011 were preserved in RNAlater at -80 °C and analysed for their parasite content. We identified and counted parasitic elements and assessed their shape, size and morphology in relation to the storage time of the samples.