Damien Stark

..The PCR protocol showed a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 93.5% and the entire procedure can be performed in one day...

..Treatment should always include a luminal agent to eradicate colonisation, prevent spread and/or reduce the risk of invasive disease. Medical therapy can successfully cure invasive disease, including amoebic liver abscesses...

..Intermittent shedding of D. fragilis was found to be highly variable. These studies confirm the pathogenic nature of D. fragilis and we recommend laboratories routinely test for the organism...

..fragilis. The study also highlights the need for household contacts to be screened, given the propensity of close contacts to become infected with the organism...

..This study also highlights the lack of sensitivity demonstrated by microscopy, and thus, molecular methods such as MT-PCR must be considered the diagnostic methods of choice for enteric protozoan parasites...

..Commercially available pea straw compost used for gardening was suspected to be the source of the infection. After an initial relapse, treatment with surgical debridement, liposomal amphotericin B and posaconazole was successful...

..These data highlight the range of species causing leishmaniasis imported in Australia and demonstrate the importance of species identification in determining proper treatment...

..3 and 99%, respectively. These results show that RT-PCR is the diagnostic method of choice for the detection of D. fragilis in clinical samples and, as such, should be considered as the gold standard for diagnosis...

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..The limited host range detected suggests human infection may not involve transmission from other animal species. In addition, we provide an update on the limited knowledge about the life cycle of this parasite and its host distribution...

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..The results of this study show high rates of enteric parasites persist in MSM and highlight the importance of testing for intestinal parasites in MSM. This is the first report of E. moshkovskii from MSM...

..This is the first reported case of B. petrii causing suppurative mastoiditis and only the second documented case of a clinically significant B. petrii isolate...

..All patients were MSM and human immunodeficiency virus infected. Three of the four presented with severe ulcerative proctitis. We report a cluster of rectal LGV serovar L2b infections in Sydney, Australia...

..This study shows the potential pathogenic properties of D. fragilis and the need for all laboratories to routinely test for this organism...

..fragilis. These tests will also aid the elucidation of the host distribution and the life cycle of this pathogen...

..Real-time PCR exhibited 100% sensitivity and specificity...

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..It is essential that all patients with IBS undergo routine parasitological investigations in order to rule out the presence of protozoan parasites as the causative agents of the clinical signs...

..fragilis. Our study indicated 5-nitroimidazole derivatives to be the most active compounds in vitro against D. fragilis...

..Patients presented with diarrhea lasting from 5 days to over 4 weeks. Dientamoeba fragilis should be considered as a cause of diarrhea in returning travelers...

..histolytica in stool samples from patients in geographical regions where this parasite is not endemic...

..Therefore, in symptomatic patients who harbor Dientamoeba and no other pathogen, Dientamoeba should be considered as the etiological agent and treated as such...

..Subtype 3 was the most predominant subtype (present in 43% of samples assigned to this group). This study highlights the low sensitivity of microscopy when used as the sole diagnostic modality for detection of Blastocystis sp...

..In conclusion, genetic clinical correlates continue to be found for Pneumocystis pneumonia; however, they remain controversial and warrant further study...

..69 when compared with controls. These findings show that in Sydney, sexually active HIV-infected MSM are at greater risk of developing amoebic disease caused by E. histolytica than HIV-uninfected MSM and the general population...

..moshkovskii as a "potential" pathogen in the case of diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders. Further studies are needed to determine the role of E. moshkovskii in causing diarrheal diseases in our population...

..e., Japan, Taiwan, and Republic of Korea. We report locally acquired invasive amebiasis in Sydney, Australia, exclusively in MSM...

..Where information is lacking, suggestions are made as to how future research could improve our knowledge on the life cycle of Dientamoeba...

..moshkovskii were observed in 63 (70.8%) and 55 (61.8%) patients, respectively, by PCR. This is the first study in Australia using molecular techniques to determine the presence of E. histolytica, E. dispar, and E. moshkovskii...

..It also discusses the potential impact of climate changes on their epidemiology and the issues surrounding waterborne transmission and suggests a multidisciplinary approach to their prevention and control...

..fragilis. This study therefore provides extensive and novel details of the ultrastructure of a neglected protozoan parasite that is an emerging cause of human disease...

..The incorporation of many new technologies into the diagnostic laboratory will lead to a better understanding of the public health problem and measures to control the disease...

..The dramatic decline of intestinal microsporidiosis in our study reconfirms the importance of effective HAART in preventing advanced immunodeficiency, opportunistic infections and associated AIDS-related deaths...

..This case highlights the importance of obtaining a microbiologic diagnosis, particularly in patients who previously have had procedures involving instrumentation...

..The nonenteric microsporidia, some trypanosomatids, Toxoplasma spp., Neospora spp., some free-living amoebae, Plasmodium spp., and Babesia spp. are discussed...

..This study aimed to determine the contamination rate and associated risk factors during 14 years of banking at the Sydney Cord Blood Bank...

..dubliniensis candidemia in a heart-lung transplant recipient in Australia. This case highlights the importance of follow-up in patients with candidemia or disseminated infection, especially in immunosuppressed patients...

..Although it is more expensive, in addition to rapid turnaround times of 2 to 4 h, IDI-MRSA offers greater detection of MRSA colonization, independent of the swab site, than do conventional selective agars and GenoType MRSA Direct...

..Sensitivity of selective agars increased with 48 hours of incubation with a corresponding decrease in specificity. In conclusion, molecular detection methods for MRSA remain sensitive and rapid but are associated with greater expense...

..xylosoxidans. The patient was an intravenous drug user and had injected amphetamines using 'duck pond water' as a diluent. After surgical intervention and 6 weeks of intravenous meropenem therapy, the patient made an uneventful recovery...