ABSTRACT
Two commercial faecal antigen tests, based on Giardia specific antigens, were compared with traditional microscopical examination of faeces in 40 clinical patients, including 14 patients with a confirmed Giardia infection as well as in a survey among 96 children in four day care centers. The results obtained with these faecal antigen tests were not much better than by using traditional microscopy by a well trained parasitologist. Specific Giardia antigen (GSA 65) has been still detected in faeces up to day 4th after treatment of giardiasis, when microscopical examination of faeces was already for a few days negative. The Giardia antigen detection test was not very useful in examining the unconcentrated duodenal content.
Subject(s)
Antigens, Protozoan/analysis , Feces/parasitology , Giardia/immunology , Giardiasis/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Animals , Child , Feces/cytology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Reagent Kits, DiagnosticABSTRACT
A case of plasmodium falciparum malaria in a 21-year old nurse, who never left Poland, was described. Malaria was confirmed by parasitological examination of peripheral blood smears in which 20% of erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium falciparum were found. The course of the disease was very severe but the patient survived. The only possibility of infection must have been through skin lesion on the nurse's hand during obtaining blood from the patient infected with Plasmodium falciparum.
