Full Length Research Paper
Abstract
Entamoeba histolytica is an utmost important cause of dysentery. Entamoeba spp. has been frequently reported in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive individuals. Routine microscopic examination of stool sample is a most widely used technique but microscopy alone has low sensitivity and it is insufficient for differentiation among Entamoeba spp. Molecular techniques are newer methods which are currently used for the identification of Entamoeba spp. The present study was planned to differentiate the Entamoeba species by gene sequencing for the confirmation of microscopic findings in stool samples of HIV positive and negative patients of Cameroon. Out of 265 patients diagnosed microscopically for Entamoeba, 90 positive stool samples (28 from HIV patients) were collected and studied for the differentiation of Entamoeba species. DNA was extracted from infested stool samples and used to amplify a part of the genus Entamoeba small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) as well as the serine rich E. histolytica protein gene and chitinase gene. The SSU rDNA were sequenced to identify the other species that could not be done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and for the differentiation of E. histolytica from Entamoeba dispar and Entamoeba moshkovskii. Sequence analysis identified seven different species of Entamoeba which were related to Entamoeba; E. histolytica (28.7%), E. dispar (25%), E. moshkovskii (10%), Escherichia coli (16.3%), Entamoeba hartmanni (6.2%), Entamoeba polecki (11.3%) and Entamoeba struthionis (7.5%), with the higher prevalence of E. histolytica among HIV infected patients than uninfected individuals. The phylogenetic analysis within the sequences of E. histolytica isolates suggested two distinguishable variants present among Cameroonian HIV patients. There is a possibility that specific genotypes may be more prevalent among HIV positive patients, and molecular diagnosis is important in establishing the correct diagnosis of amoebic dysentery.
Key words: Entanoeba spp, HIV/AIDS, gene sequencing, Cameroon.
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