Blastocystosis is incriminated in chronic gastrointestinal diseases, as irritable bowel syndrome,
and colorectal cancer with subtype (ST7) that reduced beneficial intestinal microbiota.
This study compared the diagnostic performances of microscopic examination and In-vitro
culture compared with RCR as a golden standard. A total of 70 fecal samples were obtained
from diarrheic patients attending Pediatric, Gastrointestinal and Oncology Unit Suez Canal University
Hospitals. Blastocystis was microscopically examined (direct smear, formalin ethylacetate
concentration & trichrome stain) and cultured on Jones' culture medium compared to
golden standard PCR using newly-developed primers as a reference technique.
The result showed that 8/70 (11.4%) were positive by wet mount microscopy with 19.5% &
100% sensitivity and specificity, 15 samples (21.4%) were positive with trichrome stain with
36.5% & 100% sensitivity and specificity and 29 samples (70.7%) were positive by Jones' culture
medium with 70.7%, & 100% sensitivity and specificity respectively.