Detection of Entamoeba species among Amoeba diagnosed infection in Nablus District

Authors

Amjad Hussein, Medical Laboratory Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, PalestineFollow
Sireen Hamad, Medical Laboratory Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, PalestineFollow
Motasem Al-Masri, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sci-ences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, PalestineFollow
Abdel Fattah Hasan Hasan, Environmental Research Lab, Civil and Architectural Engineering Department, An-Najah Na-tional University, Nablus, PalestineFollow

Abstract

Amoebiasis is still of serious concern for public health in developing countries. The main issue in diagnosing amoebiasis infection through stool samples is the inability to differentiate the morphologically indistinguishable Entamoeba histolytica from the nonpathogenic Amoeba. This study aimed at detecting Entamoeba species (E. histolytica / dispar) among the microscopically diagnosed amoebiasis infections in the Nablus district using nonconventional immunoassay methods. The study utilized 101 Amoeba-positive stool samples based on the microscope examination. The stool specimens were collected from patients who sought medical investigation and diagnosis regardless of age or gender. The consented patients answered questionnaires. The immunoassay method detected E. histolytica / E. dispar in 36.2% of stool specimens out of the tested samples. There was a variation in the prevalence of amoebiasis among the different age groups. Noteworthy, infants positive, 9.9 % and 20.6 % microscopically and using the immunoassay, respectively. In conclusion, this study stressed the urgent need to revise the conventional technique used to diagnose amoebiasis for its serious impact on health. The immunoassay kits could be a good and fast screening technique.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.59049/2790-0231.1111

Recommended Citation

Hussein, Amjad; Hamad, Sireen; Al-Masri, Motasem; and Hasan, Abdel Fattah Hasan (2024) "Detection of Entamoeba species among Amoeba diagnosed infection in Nablus District," Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.59049/2790-0231.1111