Evaluation of the Employment of Four Laboratory Diagnostic Methods in Detecting of Giardia lamblia among Children in Kirkuk City

Abstract

Background: Giardiasis is the most common cause of diarrhea among people in Iraq, caused by Giardia lamblia parasite. Laboratory diagnosis requires diversity usage of method to reveal the parasite with in different types of specimens. Aim: The aim of this study were to determine the prevalence of giardiasis in Kirkuk city, to assess the efficacy of four different methods employee in detecting Giardia parasite and an attempt to extract and amplify DNA of this parasite using mixed primers of Giardia assemblages A and B. Material and Methods Cross sectional study was carried on a total of 310 stool samples were collected and tested for giardiasis by using direct microscopy, ELISA-corpo-antigen, Lateral immune-chromatography assay (Triage panel) and PCR technique. Results: The overall rate of parasitic infection was (51.93%); Giardia lamblia rate was (20.32%). Giardiasis among males was higher than in females. Traige panel show high efficacy for detecting Giardia lamblia than detecting of Entamoeba histolytica and cryptosporidium. Statistically the differences among direct microscopy, ELISA and Triage panel were not significant. Application of PCR single step technique show high rate of sensitivity than other methods in detecting giardiasis. Amplified Giardia genome length extended from 280 to 750 bps with mean of 437.6 bps. Conclusions: Giardiasis among peoples in Kirkuk city was high especially among males. Triage panel and ELISA were simple and easy, but were less sensitive than conventional microscopy methods. PCR technique using k 725 gene (Mixed primers of assemblages A1, A2 and B) loci was performed for the first time in Kirkuk city with high sensitivity and specificity than other laboratory methods.