Dientamoeba fragilis

Abstract

Traditional diagnosis of Dientamoeba fragilis is based on prompt fixation and permanent staining as trophozoites degenerate within hours of being passed with demonstration of the characteristic nuclear structure achieved by permanent stained preparations only. Such techniques are time consuming and require experienced personnel to interpret the stained smears. Newer molecular techniques, conventional and real-time PCR, targeting the 18S rDNA have been developed for the diagnosis of D. fragilis and offer greater sensitivity and specificity than microscopy [2, 3]. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.