Microscopy, PCR and ELISA applied to the epidemiology of amoebiasis in Greece.
Detection and differentiation between Entamoeba histolytica and E. dispar are of great importance both for diagnosis and epidemiological studies. The present study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of these species in Greece and to assess the performance of microscopy, ELISA and PCR in the field. Our results indicate that the prevalence of these parasites is very low in Greece and that PCR and ELISA are by far better than microscopy. When it comes to the choice between ELISA and PCR, it seems that in real situations the advantages of PCR are outweighed by those of ELISA.
Evangelopoulos
A
A
National School of Public Health, Department of Parasitology, Entomology and Tropical Diseases, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 115 21 Athens, Greece. aevangelopoulos@hotmail.com
Legakis
N
N
Vakalis
N
N
D000818:Animals; D004747:Entamoeba / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004749:Entamoebiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence