Jürg Utzinger
Switzerland
Research Article
Evaluation of a Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction for the Laboratory Diagnosis of Giardia intestinalis in Stool Samples from Schoolchildren from the Centre-Ouest and Plateau Central Regions of Burkina Faso
Author(s): Serge Diagbouga, Tibila Kientega, Séverine Erismann, Djeneba Ouermi, Jasmina Saric, Peter Odermatt, Tegwinde R. Compaore, Arsene Zongo, Grissoum Tarnagda, Boubacar Savadogo, Jürg Utzinger, Guéladio Cisse and Jacques SimporeSerge Diagbouga, Tibila Kientega, Séverine Erismann, Djeneba Ouermi, Jasmina Saric, Peter Odermatt, Tegwinde R. Compaore, Arsene Zongo, Grissoum Tarnagda, Boubacar Savadogo, Jürg Utzinger, Guéladio Cisse and Jacques Simpore
Objective: Giardiasis, a zoonotic, diarrheal disease with worldwide occurrence, is routinely diagnosed by microscopic examination of stool samples. However, implementation of this method relies on skilled and experienced personal; it is time consuming and relatively low in sensitivity. A superior diagnostic approach to detect the causative agent Giardia intestinalis would, hence, be highly desirable. The current study aimed to assess realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of G. intestinalis as an alternative to microscopy.
Material and methods: Stool samples from healthy schoolchildren aged 8-14 years from eight schools of the Centre-Ouest and Plateau Central regions in Burkina Faso were therefore collected within a cross-sectional study. Microscopic examination was performed on two faecal samples collected over two consecu.. View More»