Update on diagnostic techniques for Amebiasis

Abstract

Amebiasis is an intestinal infection prevalent throughout the world, with the population of underdeveloped and tropical countries being the most affected. The disease is caused by the genus Entamoeba, Entamoeba histolytica is considered the only pathogenic species for humans, affecting the intestine, lung, brain and liver with the formation of abscesses. The data on the prevalence and incidence of amebiasis are considered to be overestimated, because traditionally the epidemiology of the disease has been studied by direct observation by microscopy, a technique that does not facilitate the differentiation of E. histolytica from other morphologically similar and non-pathogenic amoebas. To identify the real rate of amebiasis infection, techniques and methods have been implemented that moderately increase the diagnostic specificity of amebiasis, such as concentration techniques (Faust and Ritchie), stains, cultures and blood tests; these methods have not been able to resolve this problem public health problem. With the arrival of technology, laboratories have managed to implement techniques that identify microorganisms at a molecular level using techniques such as: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), whose specificity rate is close to 100%, which they are considered novel techniques whose objective is to update the diagnostic process of amebiasis.