Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Blastocystis hominis is common protozoan in human intestinal tract and can cause so-calledblastocystosis characterized by diarrhea. Its routine identification in clinical laboratories ismade by detection of vacuolar form in stool samples using wet mount smears. The presentstudy was carried out with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of different techniquesfor diagnosis of B. hominis in the stool samples from the patients attended Brack Hospitaland Medical Technology Department, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Brack.A total of 360 stool samples were collected form randomized patients, presenting differentgenders and ages (121 males and 239 females ,and aged from less than one year to 90years), residing in different localities of Wadi Al-shati province. All specimens wereexamined by direct smear microscopy (normal saline, iodine, and eosin stains),concentration (formalin–ether sedimentation) and two xenic culture systems (MonophasicJone’s medium and Diphasic Boeck and Drbohlav's ) for the detection of B. hominis. Theresults highlights the low sensitivity of direct smear microscopy (11.29%) compared toconcentration method (15.5%) and in-vitro culture methods (22.60%). There was nosignificant difference (p>0.05) between direct smear preparations, and concentrationmethod, meanwhile there was significant difference (p<0.05) between direct smearpreparations and the two xenic culture systems for the detection of B. hominis. There wasan almost equal numbers of positive samples in both culture techniques (85 samples indiphasic medium and 78 in monophasic medium), and no significant difference (P>0.05)was found between the two culture methods. Diphasic Boeck and Drbohlav’s mediumproduced highest numbers (7.600±6.379) of B. hominis cells compared to MonophasicJone’s medium (5.051±4.938) after every passage cultures and only the vacuolarmorphologic type of this organism was found in both culture systems. Moreover, a largersize of vacuolar stage of B. hominis detected in Diphasic Boeck and Drbohlav's medium,than in Monophasic Jone's medium.In vitro cultivation does seem worthwhile in the detection of B. hominis in diagnosticlaboratories. Of all the diagnostic techniques used, diphasic Boeck and Drbohlav's mediumwas the most sensitive method for detecting B. hominis in stool specimens.The short-term in vitro culture methods achieved the best performance with regard tosensitivity with other studied methods. With the advantages in terms of sensitivity, the invitro culture methods could be applied to identify B. hominis for both clinical diagnosis andfield study purposes, thus indicating the need to include laboratory techniques that enable B. hominis detection on a routine basis.
Source: Lebda Medical Journal
DOI: 10.65137/lmj.v3i1.66
Institution: Sebha University
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2906043367