Boeck and Drbohlav Locke egg serum medium for detection of Blastocystis hominis

Abstract

Objective : To study Blastocystis hominis infection, positivity by using Boeck and Drbohlav Locke egg serum medium (LE) cultivation and Jones’ medium.

Design : Cross-sectional study.

Setting : Bann Kew Savag Mai, Mae Chame District, Chiang Mai Province and Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Materials : One hundred and fifty-eight stool specimens from hill-tribe children, aged 1-18 years old.

Methods : All 158 stool specimens were cultivated in Jones’ and LE media, transported to the laboratory and examined for B.hominis under the microscope. The parasites were detected after a 72 hr incubation at 37°C. Each stool sample was also identified for B.hominis by simple smear and concentration techniques.

Results : The prevalence rate of B.hominis was 0.91% and 1.09%, examined by simple smear and formalin ether concentration technique, respectively. The Jones’ medium demonstrated 22.15% parasite positivity. The LE medium showed a high efficiency of organism detection with 43.67% parasite positivity.

Conclusion : The classical LE medium which is routinely used to detect the presence of intestinal amoeba, primarily Entamoeba histolytica in many hospital-based laboratories has no available report for B.hominis detection. In this study, the standard LE medium performed the most efficiently for B.hominis production when compared to Jones’ medium. The LE medium may be used as a reliable medium which has low-cost. This medium can eliminate the problem of the expiration date of the yeast extract used in the Jones’ medium.