rapid technique for diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infection

ABSTRACT

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