Evaluation of microscopy and PCR for detection of .

Introduction: () diagnosis is an intestinal protozoan parasite globally found in rural and urban areas and is attracting a growing interest. Its prevalence in stool varies from 0.2% to more than 19% depending upon the population studied.

Materials And Methods: This study was based on the examination of 100 stool samples of randomly referred cases in a rural area in Motobus district, Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Egypt. Our aim was to investigate the presence of in stool of the examined individuals using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) compared to wet mount and trichrome stain with confirmation of infection by transmission electron microscopy.

Results: was detected in 13/100 of the stool samples examined using wet mount smears, while trichrome stain detected 17/100. Conventional PCR diagnosed 41 cases of in the studied group. A very good agreement was found between wet mount and trichrome stain for diagnosing , while there was fair agreement between conventional PCR and both microscopy methods. Transmission electron microscope was performed on pooled positive samples that revealed the internal structures of trophozoite with its characteristic nucleus.

Conclusions: PCR technique was superior to microscopy for the detection of . Trichrome stain remains vital for microscopic diagnosis.