Selective identification of the pathogenic E. histolytica in fresh stool samples using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Stool samples from 93 individuals clinically presumed to have intestinal amoebiasis and subjected to microscopic examination and DNA extraction. The PCR amplification was performed using two sets of primers that differentiate between pathogenic and nonpathogenic Entamoeba DNA. Of 93 clinically positive cases, 51 (54.