COMPARISON BETWEEN PCR STUDY AND ELISA STUDY AMONG PATIENTS WITH DIARRHEA.

Amoebic dysentery is a common infectious disease that is acquired through contaminated food and water harboring the infective stage of the parasite. Entamoeba histolytica is a parasite that is spread globally causing increasing morbidity and mortality in developing countries. To Identify the infection of Entamoeba histolytica by PCR and other lab methods among patients attending Kirkuk hospitals. Methods: The current study involved the examination of 220 fecal specimens from children under 15 years during the period of 1st January 2023 until 5th of June 2023. It involved microscopic examination of fecal samples confirmation of diagnosis with two different ELISA tests that capture E. histolytic. Also, microscopic positive samples were submitted to nucleic acid detection of E. histolytic via Real-Time PCR. The percentage of positive specimens that were tested with E. histolytica / dispar ELISA (DRG ELISA), out of 93 stool specimens, 59 (63.44%) were positive, while the remaining specimens 34 (36.56%) were negative despite being tested positive by microscopy. The DRG stool ELISA revealed sensitivity and specificity (69.28% and 97.91%) respectively and a predictive value of (97%). The sample that was the positive result with DRG ELISA was discriminated via Tech Lab E. histolytica ELISA which detects the presence of only E. histolytica alone in fecal samples. Out of 93 examined specimens, only 24 (25.81%) were positive while the remaining 69 (74.19%) were negative. DRG ELISA for E. histolytica/dispar positive results were 63.44%, while TechLab ELISA has produced 25.81% positive E. histolytica. Whereases, RT PCR results were only 20.44%. Qi square analysis was applied and yielded a significant difference v=between the method of diagnosis with P=<0.0001. Microscopy-positive Entamoeba complex is a primitive means of detection of Entamoeba complex and diagnosis should always be confirmed with superior method like ELISA or PCR.