rapid technique for diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infection

This study was carried out on stool specimens of 150 cases attending the outpatient clinics of the Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University. All patients were suffering from gastro-intestinal disturbance specially diarrhoea. Each specimen was examined for intestinal parasites by direct saline and iodine smears and was stained by using: quantitative buffy coat [QBC] tube technique, modified trichrome and modified Ziehl Neelsen stains. This work aimed to evaluate the quantitative buffy coat tube method in diagnosis of parasitic infection in such cases, comparing it with the other staining reference techniques used simultaneously. Out of 150 diarrhaeic patients 67 were positive for protozoa. These protozoa identified in the examined specimens were Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora, Microsporidia and Blastocystis hominis. The results showed high sensitivity and specificity [100%] of the QBC tube method over the other staining techniques

Leishmania major: leishmanicidal activity of activated macrophages by interferon gamma or tumour necrosis factor

Infective, stationary growth phase metacyclic promastigotes of Leishmania major were introduced to murine peritoneal macrophages and incubated with recombinant murine tumor necrosis factor [TNF] or with interferon gamma [IFN-gamma] in the presence of LPS. The leishmanicidal activity of macrophages was estimated by the visual counting of intracellular parasites as well as by the [3H] thymidine incorporation of the residual parasites. The culture supernatants were also collected for the estimation of nitrite [NO2-] and hydrogen peroxide [H2O2]. The results showed that both TNF and IFN-gamma had a significant leishmanicidal effect, yet it was more pronounced with IFN-gamma. The production of NO2- and H2O2 were also correlated with the increased leishmanicidal activity in the activated macrophages