It is important to note that the length of time for scanning
blood films for scientific research hardly can be standardized
because different examiners have different experience, skills,
and commitment to quality work. Microscopic examination of
blood films for approximately 20—25 min, as described above,
gives good results in detecting the prevalence of avian haemosporidians in comparison to the PCR-based methods (Table
I). We have been using this microscopy protocol for a long time
(Valkiunas and Iezhova, 2001); we recommended its use during
microscopic screening of blood films for blood parasites of ver¬
tebrates, especially in wildlife, where the diversity of haematozoa on the species level frequently is unknown, making mi¬
croscopy as a tool especially valuable.