Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar infections as detected by monoclonal antibody in an urban slum in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

In this study the authors used the Elisa-based antigen detection tests that distinguish E. histolytica from E. dispar to examine the prevalence of E. histolytica infection in individuals from an urban slum in Fortaleza, Northeastern, Brazil. This test has a sensitivity and specificity that is comparable to PCR and isoenzyme analysis, which is the gold standard. Single stools samples were obtained from 735 individuals. The prevalence of E. histolytica infection was 14.9% (110/735) and 25.4%(187/735) for E. dispar-E. histolytica complex. The most affected age group for E. histolytica /E. histolytica-E. dispar infection was the 1-5 year olds but there was no remarkable decrease with age. There was no significant difference in colonization rates between males and females. The results from this survey demonstrate that E. histolytica is highly prevalent in the Community studied. Furthermore, it offers promise for the antigen detection test as a sensitive and technically simple tool for detecting E. histolytica infection in the field.

Differentiation of Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba dispar and Entamoeba moshkovskii from diarrhoeic stools using Polymerase Chain Reaction in Kaduna, Nigeria

“…[2] A study in Brazil showed that the prevalence of Entamoeba dispar (90%) was more frequent compared to Entamoeba histolytica (10%) among infected individuals. [13] Also a study in India showed similar findings, where 49.5% patients were infected with Entamoeba dispar and only 7.4% with Entamoeba histolytic, [14] while another study in Netherlands reported 91.2% microscopically positive samples were identified as Entamoeba dispar and 6.7% were Entamoeba histolytica by both PCR and ELISA assay. [15] This study also showed that 7 (43.8%) contained only Entamoeba dispar, 3 histolytica and E. dispar was found in 6 (11.5%) samples.…”

Determinação da infecção por Entamoeba histolytica em residentes da área metropolitana de Belém, Pará, Brasil, utilizando ensaio imunoenzimático (ELISA) para detecção de antígenos

“…O kit ELISA tem se mostrado eficaz no diagnósti-co da amebíase em diversos estudos epidemiológicos 18,26,27,28 . Segundo Haque et al 26 , os resultados da detecção de coproantígenos por esse kit são comparáveis aos das técnicas isoenzimática e de biologia molecular, considerados padrão-ouro para diagnóstico da infecção.…”

“…Em Fortaleza (Ceará), Braga et al 27,28 encontraram índices de positividade de 10,6% 27 e 14,9% 28 entre 564 e 735 amostras analisadas, respectivamente. Recentemente, Pinheiro et al 29 , ao analisarem 59 amostras fecais de residentes na cidade de Macaparana (Pernambuco), não en-contraram positividade para E. histolytica.…”

Differentiation of Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar by the Polymerase Chain Reaction in Stool Samples of Patients with Gastrointestinal Symptoms in the Sanliurfa Province

“…In vitro culturing and isoenzyme analysis of the parasite are not suitable or practical methods for performing routine diagnostic laboratories. More recently, new techniques for identification of the parasite, such as antigen detection by monoclonal antibodies or DNA detection by molecular methods, are used to distinguish the two species in stool samples (3)(4)(5). The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests using accurate differential diagnosis of amoebic species in order to avoid unnecessary treatment applications (only 10% of Entamoeba infections really need treatment) (6).…”