Polymerase chain reaction versus conventional methods in the diagnosis of vaginal trichomoniasis

A total of 200 females of whom 120 had manifestations of vaginal trichomoniasis and 80 asymptomatic ones were studied. In 54/120 symptomatic female [45%] and in 28/80 asymptomatic ones [35%], T. vaginalis was diagnosed by wet mount of bedside vaginal swab samples of 120 samples from symptomatic females, T. vaginalis was detected in 93 [77.5%] when cultured onto InPouch and 95 [79.16%] in modified thioglycolate media. Culturing 80 samples of asymptomatic females showed T. vaginalis in 35 [43.75%] onto either media. T. vaginalis genomic DNAs was amplified by PCR from 130 [65%] by using TVA5-TVA6 primer pair in 95 [79.16%] samples of 120 symptomatic females, and in 35 [43.75%] samples of 80 asymptomatic ones. Difference between groups was statistically significant. The motile trichomonads was detected by wet mount in 82/130 positive cultures giving 63.07% sensitivity and 100% positive predictive value [PPV]. Flagellates were not detected by wet mount in any negative culture, giving 100% specificity and 59.32% negative predictive value [NPV]. The wet mount diagnostic accuracy [DA] was 76%, without false-positive, but false negative was 48/130 [36.93%]. DNA was amplified from 129/130 positive culture by TVA5-TVA6 primer pair, giving 99.23% sensitivity. No amplification was detected from one positive culture. DNA was not amplified from 69/70 negative culture using TVA5-TVA6 primer pair, giving 98.57% specificity, 99.23% PPV, 98.57% NPV and 99% DA

Protein profile and morphometry of cultured human blastocystis hominis from children with gastroenteritis and healthy ones

A total of 180 children of age group 5-12 years old in both sexes, of whom 90 were symptomatic and negative for other parasites, rota-virus or pathogenic bacteria. Another 90 children were asymptomatic, but with B. hominis in stools. Direct smear, formaline-ethyl acetate sedimentation concentration, kinyon carbol-fuchin stain, stool culture, enzyme immunoassay, culturing, morphometric study, gel electropho-resis and experimental infection of mice were done. The results showed that the central body cysts [CB], granular and multivacuolar forms isolated from symptomatic patients were larger than those from asymptomatic ones. The CB form was common compared to other forms and isolated from 104 cases. B. hominis infection was prevalent among males rather than females [60.5% versus 39.5%]. The clinical data showed that diarrhea was the most common symptom [58.9%]. The infection intensity had a direct relation with illness duration. The polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that isolates from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients ranged between 24-130 kDa. All isolates showed similar banding patterns. Only minor differences was in low MW [30, 50 kDa] and in high MW [118 kDa] in samples from symptomatic patients. The histopathological examination of caecum, colon and small intestine of B. hominis mice infected from symptommatic patients showed infiltration with inflammatory cells and tissue invasion by the parasite