The color of amoebic dysentery stool is dark red jam-like, with a fishy odor, more fecal matter, and blood and mucus. To diagnose amoebic dysentery definitively, trophozoites and cysts need to be detected in the stool, and the stool must be fresh. The trophozoite will lose its ability to move and change its shape after half an hour of discharge, so if it takes too long, the trophozoite may not be detected. A saline smear of the stool can be done to examine the trophozoites that extend the pseudopod activity and the amoeba that engulfs the red blood cells, which can clarify the diagnosis. A direct smear of formed stool can also find encapsulation, which may be more powerful in helping to diagnose amoebic disease.