An Evaluation of Enteric Parasitology Performed in State Laboratories

Abstract

Council have requested the Public Health Service through the Communicable Disease Center to evaluate the proficiency of State public health laboratories in the performance of various diagnostic procedures. The value of this type of program in stimulating improvement of laboratory proficiency has long been demonstrated in the field of syphilis serology (1). In response to these requests, the Communicable Disease Center established a mechanism for evaluating the performance of public health laboratories in the detection and identification of Endamoeba histolytica and other intestinal parasites. The objective of the evaluation was to obtain information whereby the State and Territorial laboratories could compare, anonymously, their diagnostic efficiency. With this basic information, deficiencies might be recognized and self-improvement undertaken. In June 1949, each of the laboratories of State anid Territorial health departments were invited to participate in the evaluation. The following 38 State and 4 Territorial laboratories asked to be included in the program:

Protozoan parasites of domestic animals and of man

“…There is a surprising amount of discrepancy even among those who should be qualified. Thus, in an evaluation by the USPHS Communicable Disease Center of the diagnostic ability of 42 state health department laboratories (Brooke and Hogan, 1952) Goldman (1959,1960) was able to differentiate between Entamoeba histolytica, E. liart>}ianni, E. nioshkovskii and E. coli by a fluorescence antibody technic. Three originally invasive strains of E. histolytica which he studied differed significantly from a non-invasive strain.…”