J J Verweij

..To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. histolytica sensu stricto in non-human primates after the redescription separating it from E. dispar in 1993...

..The question of whether helminth infections play a role in allergic diseases can best be addressed by intervention studies. None of the studies so far have been based on a large scale placebo-controlled trial...

..Different cross-sectional studies using diverse methodologies have reported that helminth infections might either exacerbate or reduce the severity of malaria attacks. The same discrepancies have been reported for parasitemia...

..In 98.8% of Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar cyst-positive faecal samples, the true identity of the cysts could be determined using PCR specific for Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar, respectively...

..stercoralis infections, with a two-fold increase in the detection rate as compared with the commonly used Baermann sedimentation method...

..Moreover, this procedure facilitates monitoring of intervention programs and allows species-specific detection of treatment failure following rounds of mass treatment...

..The use of this assay in a diagnostic laboratory offers the possibility of introducing DNA detection as a feasible technique for the routine diagnosis of intestinal D. fragilis infections...

..The use of this assay in a diagnostic laboratory offers the possibility of introducing DNA detection as a feasible technique in the routine diagnosis of intestinal microsporidian infections...

..The use of this assay in a diagnostic laboratory would provide sensitive and specific diagnosis of the main parasitic diarrheal infections and could improve patient management and infection control...

..histolytica and E. dispar-specific DNA amplification using real-time polymerase chain reaction identified only one E. histolytica case and revealed a considerably higher prevalence of E. dispar (82.8%)...

..Additional diagnostic methods for the detection of parasitic infections that are not included as PCR target can be limited to a selected group of patients...

..The real-time PCR is as specific and sensitive as antigen detection and is more sensitive than microscopy. Moreover, in two patients we were able to detect G. lamblia earlier in the course of infection than with any of the other methods...

..One additional sample was positive only by PCR, and could be confirmed by microscopic examination of several additional slides. C. cayetanensis was the most frequent parasitic cause of diarrhoea after Giardia duodenalis...

..These results prove the usefulness of specific PCR assays as epidemiological tools to estimate the prevalence of O. bifurcum and N. americanus infections in human populations...

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..This SSCP approach should provide a practical tool for the specific diagnosis of E. histolytica in humans and for investigating its epidemiology...

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..Whether these genetic types represent different species is unclear. We propose that the agent of all human infections with uninucleated cyst-producing Entamoeba species be reported as "E. polecki-like."..

..duodenale infection in humans in Ghana, having implications for epidemiological studies and for the monitoring of the success of control programmes in regions in Africa...

..histolytica require treatment with a tissue amoebicidal drug, followed by a contact amoebicide to prevent recurrence. Currently, paromomycin is considered to be the first-line luminal amoebicide because of its efficacy and safety...

..To update the reader on the latest developments in the laboratory diagnosis of intestinal protozoa...

..Different genotypes showed more dispersion among isolates from Malawi compared with those from the Netherlands. A constructed map estimating the genealogy of the ITS region reveals a dynamic evolutionary process between the genotypes...

..Our goal was to develop a generally applicable, rapid, and robust method for screening large numbers of urine samples, resulting in a broad spectrum of native peptides, as a tool to be used for biomarker discovery...

..In addition, this Isospora PCR could augment the clinical laboratory diagnosis of isosporiasis, in particular, in patients with a travel history to developing countries...

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..This technique can be used as an additional standard for diagnosis, epidemiology, and quality control for amoebic infections...

..bifurcum from different primate hosts in Ghana, and raise interesting questions about host specificity, epidemiology (e.g., zoonotic transmission), and ecology of the different genotypes of O. bifurcum...

..bifurcum has been reported from either study area, the present findings support the hypothesis that O. bifurcum from humans in the north of Ghana, and O. bifurcum from olive baboons and/or mona monkeys are distinct...

..dispar infection in a non-endemic setting. In carriers of E. histolytica/E. dispar from non-endemic countries the high specificity of serology can be used to establish the diagnosis of E. histolytica infection if antibodies are present...

..A more thorough re-evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of microscopy and these newer diagnostic methods, with an estimation of the cost-effectiveness of each technique, is recommended...

..To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of intestinal microsporidiosis in Ethiopia. It has an important implication for the understanding of the aetiology of diarrhoea in HIV/AIDS patients in the country...

..This condition is attributable mainly to E. bieneusi. Thus, early diagnosis of intestinal microsporidiosis in HIV/AIDS patients would certainly be helpful in the understanding and management of diarrheal illness...

..Fifty percent of the investigated participants were positive for C. cayetanensis. To our knowledge, this outbreak is the first caused by C. cayetanensis among susceptible persons in a disease-endemic area...

..This finding may have important operational implications and emphasizes the need for appropriate diagnostic methods in studies evaluating the outcome of pregnancy-associated malaria...

..histolytica and E. dispar. The tradition of microscopy in a routine diagnostic set-up appears unsatisfactory to reliably differentiate rbc-engulfing amoeba from non-invasive amoeba in wet smears...