The effectiveness of the Culture for Dientamoeba fragilis from the Stool

Abstract

Objective: In the identification of Dientamobea fragilis, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is by far more sensitive than microscopic examination of permanent-stained smears, while it is faster and less labour-intensive than culture; however, it is expensive. We aimed to assess the sensitivity of culture and compare the efficacies of three culture media: Robinson’s medium (RM), Dobell’s medium (DM) and Talis’s Medium (TM), for the identification of D. fragilis. Materials and Methods: Stool samples of 104 individuals admitted to Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital with complaints such as abdominal pain, itching, meteorism and diarrhea, and no detection of D. fragilis in the initial examination of trichrome-stained smears of their stools, were cultivated in RM, DM and TM on the same day. Results: Trophozoites of D. fragilis were detected in 11 of 104 (10.6%) samples, where all were positive in RM, while 3 and 4 of 11 were also positive in DM and TM, respectively. Two samples were found to be positive in all three media. RM was by far the leading medium to supply vast numbers of trophozoites. Conclusion: These results indicate that culture is more effective than microscopic examination of permanent stained smears of stools to identify D. fragilis when PCR is not available, and RM could be the first choice for culture as it supplies huge amounts of trophozoites useful for further molecular studies.