Despite recent advances in diagnostic technology, microscopic examination of stool specimens remains central to the diagnosis of most pathogenic intestinal protozoa. Microscopy is, however, labor-intensive and requires a skilled technologist. New, highly sensitive diagnostic methods have been developed for protozoa endemic to developed countries, including Giardia lamblia (syn. G. intestinalis/...

From March to September 2001, 315 specimens from "nonrepeat" patients that were submitted for ova and parasite examination were stained using the Kinyoun modified acid-fast stain to detect the intestinal coccidians. Four patients (1.3%) were infected with coccidians, 2 with Cryptosporidium parvum and 2 with Cyclospora cayetanensis. No infections with Isospora belli were detected. In comparison,...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of parasitic intestinal infections in patients attending Padua teaching hospital during a two-year period. Between 1st March 2011 and 28th February 2013, we examined stool specimens from 7341 patients (6127 Italians, 1214 non-Italians) for ova and parasites using microscopy, rapid enzyme immunoassays, culture techniques and molecular method...