The diagnosis of parasitic diseases is made in the clinical laboratory byidentification of the parasite itself in body fluids, tissues, or excreta and thishas always been considered the gold standard. In certain parasitic infections,the standard parasitologic laboratory procedures may not be sufficient toconfirm the diagnosis. In such cases, a number of alternative methods havebeen developed, including immunoassay and molecular methods.Immunodiagnostic methods search for a diagnosis on the basis of clues lefteither by the parasite itself (antigens) or by the body's response to parasiticinvasion (antibodies).