ROLE OF POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION AND COPRO-ANTIGEN(S) DETECTION IN DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN ENTAMOEBA HISTOLYTICA AND ENTAMOEBA DISPAR

Abstract

As the extent of morbidity caused by E.histolytica I E.dispar has been better understood, increasing importance has been placed on the methods of parasite detection. This work has highlightened the danger of relaying solely on the outmoded technique of copra-microscopy for the diagnosis of E.histolytica IE.dispar infection. The use of template genomic DNA directly extracted from fresh stools in a polymerase chain reaction is found to be a useful tool of diagnosis. Over copra-antigen ELISA test, the PCR possesses the advantages that it can diagnose mixed infection with both species and the extracted DNA can be kept indefinitely for reference and epidemiological researches.