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Dientamoeba fragilis detection methods and prevalence: a survey of state public health laboratories.Public Health Reports (Washington, D.C.... 1991Dientamoeba fragilis is a pathogenic protozoan parasite that has no cyst stage. Because of the lack of a cyst stage, the laboratory detection of D. fragilis in stool...
Dientamoeba fragilis is a pathogenic protozoan parasite that has no cyst stage. Because of the lack of a cyst stage, the laboratory detection of D. fragilis in stool specimens is dependent on the stool processing and examination methods employed. Failure to use recommended stool fixation and permanent staining techniques almost precludes identification of D. fragilis, which is associated with gastrointestinal illness in humans. In this survey, questionnaires were mailed to all State and territorial public health laboratories requesting information on the number of ova and parasite examinations, methods of processing and examining stools, and the number of D. fragilis positive stools for 1985. Forty-three of 54 (80 percent) laboratories responded. Results showed that those laboratories which reported D. fragilis detection examined more stools using recommended stool fixation methods and were more likely to stain permanently all stools examined. Permanent staining of all stools, as compared to loose and watery stools only, resulted in a fivefold greater detection of D. fragilis. More State and territorial public health laboratories reported finding D. fragilis infections in 1985 than in a 1978 survey performed by the Centers for Disease Control. However, in 1985 only six laboratories reported 82 percent of all D. fragilis detections. To increase the probability of detecting D. fragilis in stool specimens, the findings suggest that all stools should be submitted fixed in polyvinyl alcohol fixative, sodium acetate-acetic acid-formalin fixative, or Schaudinn's fixative. Further, all specimens, regardless of consistency, should be permanently stained prior to microscopic examination.
Topics: Animals; Dientamoeba; Feces; Humans; Laboratories; Public Health; Specimen Handling; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States
PubMed: 1905055
DOI: No ID Found -
Microorganisms Oct 2023Indigenous people live in remote areas of Colombia. Multiple infections with bacteria, protozoa and/or helminths are common, as well as colonization in various forms....
Indigenous people live in remote areas of Colombia. Multiple infections with bacteria, protozoa and/or helminths are common, as well as colonization in various forms. This study focused on the question of whether and to what extent various pathogens interact with each other. Therefore, a mathematical approach was retrospectively applied to PCR-based data of 244 stool samples, collected in two datasets. A stable cluster solution of the pathogens assessed was determined, and a unique configuration between / spp./ forming cluster 1 and was verified. A pathogen density-dependent interplay appeared between the / spp./ cluster, and . The applied mathematical approach demonstrated that co-infections with parasites of questionable pathological relevance such as and can be of diagnostic relevance due to their ability to promote or repress other pathogens. With the increasing availability of highly sensitive multiplexed molecular diagnostic approaches even in resource-limited settings, where multiple colonization of infection events with enteric pathogens in parallel are common, the importance of interpreting whole pathogen patterns rather than just individual pathogen detection may become more and more relevant.
PubMed: 38004654
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11112642 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Jun 2017is an intestinal protozoan of debated clinical significance. Here, we present cross-sectional and longitudinal observations on in children aged 0 to 6 years from a...
is an intestinal protozoan of debated clinical significance. Here, we present cross-sectional and longitudinal observations on in children aged 0 to 6 years from a 1-year multi-day-care-center cohort study set in Copenhagen, Denmark. The inclusion period for the cohort was 2009 through 2012. Stool samples collected from the children were accompanied by questionnaires completed by the parents or guardians of the children. Using real-time PCR, was detected in the first stool sample from 97 of 142 (68.3%) children. We evaluated the associations between seven plausible risk factors (age, sex, having siblings, having domestic animals at home, having had infant colic, recent history of intake of antibiotics, and recent history of travel abroad) as well as six reported symptoms (lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss, and diarrhea) and testing positive for The final multivariable model identified being >3 years old and having a history of recent travel abroad as risk factors for testing positive for Moreover, univariable analyses indicated that having siblings was a risk factor. There was no statistical association between a recent history of gastrointestinal symptoms and testing positive for Among the 108 children who were represented by ≥2 samples and thus included in the longitudinal analysis, 32 tested negative on the first sample and positive later, and the last sample from each of the 108 children was positive. The results are in support of being a common enteric commensal in this population.
Topics: Child; Child Day Care Centers; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Denmark; Dientamoeba; Dientamoebiasis; Feces; Female; Humans; Infant; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 28330885
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00037-17 -
Turkiye Parazitolojii Dergisi May 2022Parasitic infections emerge as a significant health problem, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries. Epidemiological data play an important role in taking...
OBJECTIVE
Parasitic infections emerge as a significant health problem, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries. Epidemiological data play an important role in taking effective measures against parasitic diseases.
METHODS
Clinical samples (stool, blood, bone marrow and tissue samples, etc.) that were sent to Hacettepe University Hospitals Parasitology Laboratory between 2014 and 2019 were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS
The positivity rates of the parasites detected in this study are as follows; sp. (71.6%), (13.3%), (4.7%), spp. (1.9%), (1.8%) and spp. (0.3%). In this study, four of the patients were found to be positive for spp. and two patients for and four patients for spp. cysts and/or trophozoites examined by Trichrome staining in our study were not detected within six years.
CONCLUSION
According to this data and in the light of the results obtained from different regions of our country, it will be possible to properly direct the necessary strategies for the diagnosis, treatment of parasitic infections and the implementation of preventive measures.
Topics: Animals; Dientamoeba; Faculty; Feces; Giardia lamblia; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35604188
DOI: 10.4274/tpd.galenos.2022.84429 -
Nutrients Aug 2022Obesity is an epidemic causing a metabolic health crisis. Herein, the interactions between the gut prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities, metabolic comorbidities and...
Obesity is an epidemic causing a metabolic health crisis. Herein, the interactions between the gut prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities, metabolic comorbidities and diet were studied. Stool samples from 56 subjects, 47 with type III obesity and 9 with type II obesity and cardiovascular risk or metabolic disease, were assessed for the richness, diversity and ecology of the bacterial gut community through metagenomics, together with the study of the presence of common unicellular eukaryote parasites ( sp., and ) by qPCR. Clinical information regarding metabolic comorbidities and non-alcoholic hepatic fatty liver disease was gathered. To assess the quality of the patients' diet, each participant filled in three dietary questionnaires. The most prevalent parasite sp. (46.4%), together with (8.9%), was found to be associated with higher mean diversity indexes regarding non-colonized subjects; the opposite of that which was observed in those with (16.1%). In terms of phyla relative abundance, with sp. and , very slight differences were observed; on the contrary, was related to an increase in Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, and a decrease in Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, presenting the lowest Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. At genus level, sp. and/or was accompanied with an increase in spp., and a decrease in spp., spp. and spp., while was associated with an increase in spp., and a decrease in spp., spp. and spp., and the highest spp./ spp. ratio. Participants with non-alcoholic hepatic fatty liver presented a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and those with type 2 diabetes displayed a significantly lower spp./ spp. ratio, due to an overrepresentation of the genus spp. The presence of parasites was associated with variations in the richness, diversity and distribution of taxa in bacterial communities, confirming a gain in diversity associated with sp. and providing different functioning of the microbiota with a potential positive effect on comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Future basic and clinical studies should assess the beneficial or pathogenic effect of these eukaryotes on obese subjects and focus on deciphering whether they may imply a healthier metabolic profile.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Blastocystis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Feces; Humans; Obesity, Morbid; Parasites
PubMed: 35956387
DOI: 10.3390/nu14153211 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Mar 2014Despite recent advances in diagnostic technology, microscopic examination of stool specimens remains central to the diagnosis of most pathogenic intestinal protozoa.... (Review)
Review
Despite recent advances in diagnostic technology, microscopic examination of stool specimens remains central to the diagnosis of most pathogenic intestinal protozoa. Microscopy is, however, labor-intensive and requires a skilled technologist. New, highly sensitive diagnostic methods have been developed for protozoa endemic to developed countries, including Giardia lamblia (syn. G. intestinalis/G. duodenalis) and Cryptosporidium spp., using technologies that, if expanded, could effectively complement or even replace microscopic approaches. To date, the scope of such novel technologies is limited and may not include common protozoa such as Dientamoeba fragilis, Entamoeba histolytica, or Cyclospora cayetanensis. This minireview describes canonical approaches for the detection of pathogenic intestinal protozoa, while highlighting recent developments and FDA-approved tools for clinical diagnosis of common intestinal protozoa.
Topics: Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Cryptosporidium; Cyclospora; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Dientamoeba; Entamoeba histolytica; Giardia lamblia; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Parasitology; Protozoan Infections
PubMed: 24197877
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02877-13 -
Turkiye Parazitolojii Dergisi 2013We investigated the prevalence of Dientamoeba fragilis and Blastocystis spp. in IBS patients and evaluated whether there was a possible link between IBS and these...
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the prevalence of Dientamoeba fragilis and Blastocystis spp. in IBS patients and evaluated whether there was a possible link between IBS and these parasitic infections.
METHODS
Stool specimens collected from 55 IBS patients, 80 patients with gastroenteritis as control group 1 (CG-1) and 50 healthy volunteers as control group 2 (CG-2) were included the study. Samples were examined by direct microscopy, trichrome staining and culture methods.
RESULTS
While there was no significant difference in the prevalence of Blastocystis spp. between IBS patients and CG-1 (p > 0.05), a significant difference was found between IBS and CG-2 (p < 0.05). Patients with IBS were found to have five or more Blastocystis spp. per field than control groups. After eradication, all symptoms were cured in four patients, there were only constipation problems left in eleven patients and there were no changes in clinical findings in three patients. D. fragilis was not found in any of the samples.
CONCLUSION
The reason we did not find any D. fragilis may be due to the low infection rate in the region. However, significantly having five or more Blastocystis spp. per field (X40) in IBS patients and regression of IBS symptoms after treatment in most of the patients suggested a possible link between IBS and Blastocystis spp.
Topics: Adult; Blastocystis; Blastocystis Infections; Dientamoeba; Dientamoebiasis; Feces; Female; Gastroenteritis; Humans; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Male; Microscopy; Staining and Labeling
PubMed: 23955902
DOI: 10.5152/tpd.2013.19 -
Euro Surveillance : Bulletin Europeen... Jul 2019BackgroundDespite the global distribution of the intestinal protozoan its clinical picture remains unclear. This results from underdiagnosis: microscopic screening...
BackgroundDespite the global distribution of the intestinal protozoan its clinical picture remains unclear. This results from underdiagnosis: microscopic screening methods either lack sensitivity (wet preparation) or fail to reveal (formalin-fixed sample).AimIn a retrospective study setting, we characterised the clinical picture of dientamoebiasis and compared it with giardiasis. In addition, we evaluated an improved approach to formalin-fixed samples for suitability in diagnostics.MethodsThis study comprised four parts: (i) a descriptive part scrutinising rates of findings; (ii) a methodological part analysing an approach to detect -like structures in formalin samples; (iii) a clinical part comparing demographics and symptoms between patients with dientamoebiasis (n = 352) and giardiasis (n = 272), and (iv) a therapeutic part (n = 89 patients) investigating correlation between faecal eradication and clinical improvement.ResultsThe rate of findings increased 20-fold after introducing criteria for -like structures in formalin-fixed samples (88.9% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity). A further increase was seen after implementing faecal PCR. Compared with patients with giardiasis, the symptoms in the group lasted longer and more often included abdominal pain, cramping, faecal urgency and loose rather than watery stools. Resolved symptoms correlated with successful faecal eradication (p < 0.001).ConclusionsPreviously underdiagnosed, has become the most frequently recorded pathogenic enteroparasite in Finland. This presumably results from improved diagnostics with either PCR or detection of -like structures in formalin-fixed samples, an approach applicable also in resource-poor settings. Symptoms of dientamoebiasis differ slightly from those of giardiasis; patients with distressing symptoms require treatment.
Topics: Abdominal Pain; Adult; Animals; Diarrhea; Dientamoeba; Dientamoebiasis; Feces; Female; Finland; Giardiasis; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Retrospective Studies; Sex Distribution
PubMed: 31339096
DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.29.1800546 -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Feb 2004Dientamoeba fragilis is a globally occurring parasite that has been recognized as a causative agent of gastrointestinal symptoms. A single-round PCR was developed to...
Dientamoeba fragilis is a globally occurring parasite that has been recognized as a causative agent of gastrointestinal symptoms. A single-round PCR was developed to detect D. fragilis DNA directly from human stool samples. The genetic diversity of D. fragilis from 93 patients and 6 asymptomatic carriers was examined by PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of part of the small-subunit rRNA gene. The data show that D. fragilis sequences can be studied directly from fecal specimens despite the absence of a cyst stage and without the need for prior culturing. In addition, the results suggest strongly that D. fragilis shows remarkably little variation in its small-subunit rRNA gene.
Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Cloning, Molecular; DNA, Protozoan; Dientamoeba; Dientamoebiasis; Feces; Genetic Variation; Genotype; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reference Values; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
PubMed: 14766828
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.42.2.631-635.2004 -
Parasites & Vectors Jan 2018In this study for the first time, a Dientamoeba fragilis protein profile by MALDI-TOF MS was created in order to identify specific markers for the application of this...
BACKGROUND
In this study for the first time, a Dientamoeba fragilis protein profile by MALDI-TOF MS was created in order to identify specific markers for the application of this technology in the laboratory diagnosis of dientamoebiasis. In particular, one D. fragilis reference strain was used to create a reference spectrum and 14 clinical isolates to verify the reliability of the obtained results.
RESULTS
While 15 peaks were found to be discriminating between the reference strain and the culture medium used, six peaks, observed in all the 14 strains tested, were considered as markers able to identify D. fragilis.
CONCLUSIONS
In our hands, MALDI-TOF MS technology was demonstrated as a useful tool to be used in association with or in replacement of the real-time PCR assay for the identification of D. fragilis used in our laboratory on xenic cultures, due to its accuracy, rapidity and low cost.
Topics: Costs and Cost Analysis; Dientamoeba; Parasitology; Proteome; Protozoan Proteins; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Time Factors
PubMed: 29301570
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2597-3