Trial reportJournal of clinical microbiology1998
Comparison of PCR and microscopy for detection of Cryptosporidium parvum in human fecal specimens: clinical trial.
Trial report in Journal of clinical microbiology, 1998. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 93 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
93 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 262 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transfusion-transmitted malaria in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Plasmodium spp. carriage in blood units and confirmed transmission in recipient.Malaria journal · 2026Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of nucleic acid amplification tests for human intestinal nematode infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review of enteric dysbiosis in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.Systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Prevalence and molecular characterisation ofInternational journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2026Article
- Molecular characterization of filarial infections and their associated risk factors in rural community of Southeastern Gabon.Parasite epidemiology and control · 2026Article
- Targeted molecular screening for protozoan parasites in wild platypuses (International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2025Article
- Transitioning from microscopy to PCR for protozoa in Norway - Impact on detection of protozoa and helminths: A register study.Epidemiology and infection · 2025Article
- Article
- Prevalence ofVeterinary world · 2024Article
- Molecular prevalence and associated risk factors ofVeterinary world · 2024Article
- Review
- Prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection and associated risk factors in calves in Egypt.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- A review and analysis of cryptosporidiosis outbreaks in New Zealand.Parasitology · 2023Review
- Role of Cryptosporidium spp in Development of Colorectal Cancer.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2023Article
- Diagnosis of protozoa diarrhoea in Campylobacter patients increases markedly with molecular techniques.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Diagnostic Methods of Common Intestinal Protozoa: Current and Future Immunological and Molecular Methods.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2022Review
- Article
- Comparative evaluation of various diagnostic techniques for detection ofIranian journal of veterinary research · 2022Article
- Parasitological, Molecular, and Epidemiological Investigation ofFrontiers in veterinary science · 2022Article
- The prevalence and genetic characterisation ofJournal of parasitic diseases : official organ of the Indian Society for Parasitology · 2021Article
33 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
PCR technology offers alternatives to conventional diagnosis of Cryptosporidium for both clinical and environmental samples. We compared microscopic examination by a conventional acid-fast staining procedure with a recently developed PCR test that can not only detect Cryptosporidium but is also able to differentiate between what appear to be host-adapted genotypes of the parasite. Examinations were performed on 511 stool specimens referred for screening on the basis of diarrhea. PCR detected a total of 36 positives out of the 511 samples, while routine microscopy detected 29 positives. Additional positives detected by PCR were eventually confirmed to be positive by microscopy. A total of five samples that were positive by routine microscopy at Western Diagnostic Pathology but negative by PCR and by microscopy in our laboratory were treated as false positives. Microscopy therefore exhibited 83.7% sensitivity and 98.9% specificity compared to PCR. PCR was more sensitive and easier to interpret but required more hands-on time to perform and was more expensive than microscopy. PCR, however, was very adaptable to batch analysis, reducing the costs considerably. Bulk buying of reagents and modifications to the procedure would decrease the cost of the PCR test even more. An important advantage of the PCR test, its ability to directly differentiate between different Cryptosporidium genotypes, will assist in determining the source of cryptosporidial outbreaks. Sensitivity, specificity, ability to genotype, ease of use, and adaptability to batch testing make PCR a useful tool for future diagnosis and studies on the molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium infections.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.