[Evaluation of the new ImmunoCard STAT!® CGE test for the diagnosis of Amebiasis]

Bull Soc Pathol Exot. 2015 Aug;108(3):171-4. doi: 10.1007/s13149-015-0434-5. Epub 2015 May 28.
[Article in French]

Abstract

For many years, microscopic examination of stool samples has been considered to be the "gold standard" for diagnosis of intestinal parasites although the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis is increasingly utilized due to its high accuracy. Recently, PCR has been approved by the World Health Organization as the current method of choice for the diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica infection. In this study we evaluated a novel immunochromatographic antigen detection rapid test, ImmunoCardSTAT CGE (Meridian Bioscence, Milan, Italy), which has been proposed for the diagnosis of infections caused by Cryptosporidium parvum-Giardia intestinalis-Entamoeba histolytica. There is another rapid test with a similar name, the ImmunoCard STAT! Crypto/Giardia, but it is just for Cryptosporidium and Giardia. We aimed to compare E. histolytica results obtained from the rapid test with those of a rt-PCR for the detection of E. histolytica / E. dispar DNA. The new ImmunoCard rapid antigen detection test exhibited 88% sensitivity and 92% specificity (if assessed on rt-PCR negative samples) but showed a high proportion of cross-reaction between the pathogenic E. histolytica and the non pathogenic E. dispar.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Controlled Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Antigens, Protozoan / analysis*
  • Body Fluids / immunology
  • Body Fluids / parasitology
  • Chromatography, Affinity* / instrumentation
  • Cross Reactions
  • DNA, Protozoan / analysis
  • DNA, Ribosomal / analysis
  • Dysentery, Amebic / diagnosis
  • Dysentery, Amebic / parasitology
  • Entamoeba / immunology
  • Entamoeba histolytica / genetics
  • Entamoeba histolytica / immunology*
  • Entamoebiasis / diagnosis*
  • Feces / chemistry
  • Feces / parasitology
  • Humans
  • Liver Abscess, Amebic / diagnosis
  • Liver Abscess, Amebic / parasitology
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Species Specificity
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Antigens, Protozoan
  • DNA, Protozoan
  • DNA, Ribosomal