Serological evidence of the epidemiological trends in Entamoeba histolytica infection is scarce, especially in nonendemic countries. We aimed to determine the antibody-positive rates over a 10-year period, and compare the trends between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and -noninfected patients. We reviewed 3,514 patients who underwent antibody testing during the study periods, which...

The indirect fluorescent antibody technique has been used successfully for the rapid serological identification of the Streptococcus sp. responsible for streptococcosis of rainbow trout. This technique has been used to identify the Streptococcus sp. in pure cultures and smears made from experimentally infected and diseased fish.

Vaginal discharge specimens from 105 women were examined by wet mount, culture, and a new direct immunofluorescence assay to detect Trichomonas vaginalis. The organism was detected by culture in 31 patients, by direct immunofluorescence in 26 patients, and by wet mount in 21 patients.

Specimens collected from 182 patients with histories suggesting chlamydial disease were examined by conventional culture and direct immunofluorescence techniques. Chlamydia trachomatis was identified by both methods in 57% of all patients. There was no significant difference between the two methods in detecting C trachomatis. Where a tissue culture service is not already established, cost analy...

We determined the optimal cutoff titers in admission and convalescent-phase samples for scrub typhus indirect immunofluorescence assay using Bayesian latent class models. Cutoff titers of ≥1:3,200 in an admission sample or of a ≥4-fold rise to ≥1:3,200 in a convalescent-phase sample provided the highest accuracy (sensitivity, 81.6%; specificity, 100%).

glomerulonephritis, since then called “Maladie de Berger,” and/or immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy. Using a direct immunofluorescence technique, Jean Berger, a French pathologist, identified the presence of mesangial IgA deposits. This test remains to date the only means to diagnose what has been recognized to be the most common glomerulonephritis. [The SCI indicates that this paper has been ...

To investigate the prevalence of spotted fever group rickettsioses in Korea, a serosurvey of Japanese spotted fever rickettsiosis in patients with acute febrile illness was conducted with an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Overall, 19.88% of the patients were found to have polyvalent antibody against Rickettsia japonica. This study is the first documentation of spotted fever group rickettsio...

A study of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz and Neiva, 1912) (Diptera: Psychodidae), the primary vector of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL), and the canine form of the disease, was carried out in Porteirinha. The city is situated in the northern part of the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais and is an endemic area of AVL. Systematic phlebotomine captures were performed in seven districts with prev...

Serological methods were utilized to detect Anaplasma and Ehrlichia infection in domestic animals in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. By using an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), antibodies that reacted with Anaplasmaphagocytophilum and Ehrlichiachaffeensis were detected mainly in ruminants kept on pastureland in Altai, Ili and Kashgar area. Antibody titers up to 1:320 were reco...

BACKGROUND The serological diagnosis of avian influenza (AI) can be performed using different methods, yet the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test is considered the 'gold standard' for AI antibody subtyping. Although alternative diagnostic assays have been developed, in most cases, their accuracy has been evaluated in comparison with HI test results, whose performance for poultry has not bee...