Question

What information is needed? This is all the information I am given.

Miscellaneous protozoa case study

A 4-year-old boy from Talavera, Nueva Ecija complains of abdominal pain with low grade fever and vomiting. A routine ova and parasite examination were performed on stool specimen, but no intestinal parasite seen. Skeptical to the results, the doctor requested for another stool specimen for O&P. Second O&P shows an intestinal parasite measures 25μm in diameter with homogenously stained (trichrome stain) central body surrounded by a thin ring of cytoplasm containing several nuclei.

Questions to answer

1. Based on the case scenario, what parasite do you suspect and why?

2. What possible cause of none detection of the parasite at first examination?

3. What other diagnostic examination can be done for the identification of this parasite? Explain.

Answer 1

1.Based on the scenario the parasite is Protozoa- Entamoeba histolyica.

Entamoeba histolyica is an anaerobic Parasite that infect humans and causes amoebiasis.

Entamoeba histolyica belongs to the genus Entamoeba.

It completes it's life cycle in the host and it exits through the stools.So these are seen through stool specimens.

In the specimen we can see mature cysts or Quardinucleate can be seen in stool specimen ,that stained with trichome strain.

Quardinucleate cyst that is contains four nuclei in central cytoplasm.

It causes amoebiasis that leads to death in serious conditions.

2.None detection of parasite Entamoeba histolyica;

In most cases of Amoebiasis ,a single diagnostic or stool examination are not enough to the parasite as the excretion of mature cyst may not happen everytime and trophozoites are very delicate,it can easily destroy by fixation of the stool sample for microscopy.

3.Other diagnostic examinations include;

Polymerase chain reaction that is PCR :it is used to detect the DNA segements of the parasite.

Stool antigen detection; it detects the antigen particles of the Entamoeba histolyica in the stool by adding a corresponding antibody to the positive reaction indicates amoebic infection.

CT scan of liver ; to detect any lesions in the liver due to invasion by parasite.

Serological tests to detect the antibodies in the serum against the amobebic infection.