ABSTRACT
The current laboratory diagnosis for many parasites is microscopical detection of the organism or specific antigenic epitopes (by immunofluorescence, IFL). Increased sensitivity is obtained with DNA amplification by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), targetted to specific gene fragments of parasites. The diagnostic and clinical significance of the method, in relation to different sample material, is evaluated for the following parasite organisms/diseases: Pneumocystis carinii, Trichomonas vaginalis, Giardia lamblia, Microsporidia spp., Cryptosporidium parvum, Entamoeba histolytica and dispar, and Plasmodium spp. causing human malaria-infection.
Introduction Molecular diagnostic methods are gaining acceptance in clinical microbiological laboratories. Development of the PCR technique initiated a large number of reports on the use of DNA-based molecular methodology. These methods have proven to be useful for microbiological detection, strain typing, drug resistance, and epidemiology.
