Strongyloides stercoralis is a parasite that can cause death in immunocompromised people. A proper diagnosis is hence essential. The real-time polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a novel, promising diagnostic method, that detects the DNA of the parasite in stool samples. In this retrospective study, we compared the sensitivity of agar plate coproculture (APC), an in-house immunofluorescence test (IFAT) and an in-house RT-PCR for the diagnosis of S. stercoralis infection. The study sample was composed by 223 samples. Samples resulting positive to APC, IFAT and RT-PCR were 20, 140 and 25, respectively. When sensitivity was calculated against a composite reference standard, serology confirmed the best performance (sensitivity 95%), followed by RT-PCR (57%) and APC (45%). In conclusion, in a non-endemic setting, serology is the best screening method, while the combination of APC and RT-PCR does not seem a reasonable approach to increase sensitivity. Both methods can have a role as confirmatory tests for selected cases.

A retrospective study comparing agar plate culture, indirect immunofluorescence and real-time PCR for the diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis infection

Bisoffi Z
2017-01-01

Abstract

Strongyloides stercoralis is a parasite that can cause death in immunocompromised people. A proper diagnosis is hence essential. The real-time polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a novel, promising diagnostic method, that detects the DNA of the parasite in stool samples. In this retrospective study, we compared the sensitivity of agar plate coproculture (APC), an in-house immunofluorescence test (IFAT) and an in-house RT-PCR for the diagnosis of S. stercoralis infection. The study sample was composed by 223 samples. Samples resulting positive to APC, IFAT and RT-PCR were 20, 140 and 25, respectively. When sensitivity was calculated against a composite reference standard, serology confirmed the best performance (sensitivity 95%), followed by RT-PCR (57%) and APC (45%). In conclusion, in a non-endemic setting, serology is the best screening method, while the combination of APC and RT-PCR does not seem a reasonable approach to increase sensitivity. Both methods can have a role as confirmatory tests for selected cases.
2017
Strongyloides stercoralis ; agar plate culture; real-time PCR; serology; strongyloidiasis
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/979049
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