Jürgen Dr. Schmidt

PCR diagnosis of infections with different species of Opisthorchiidae using a rapid clean-up procedure for stool samples and specific primers

Infections with the opisthorchiid liver flukes Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini, and Opisthorchis felineus cause serious health problems in endemic areas of Southeast Asia and countries of the former Soviet Union. Chronic infections—even with low worm burdens—may lead to the development of fatal cholangiocarcinoma and related symptoms. A more sensitive diagnosis is needed since the tiny eggs of the worms are often not seen in microscopic examinations of stool samples, especially in patients with low infections. This communication reports a rapid cleanup procedure for human stool samples, which enables reliable identification of DNA by polymerase chain reaction from few eggs of opisthorchiid flukes in fecal samples.

Sensitive and species-specific detection of Clonorchis sinensis by PCR in infected snails and fishes

In the present study, PCR procedures have been established for a rapid and easy preparation of DNA of parasite stages from the intermediate hosts, i.e. sporocysts and rediae in snails and metacercariae in fishes. Primers have been developed, which enable a highly sensitive and species-specific detection of Clonorchis sinensis.