Re: Using DNA Analysis for Parasite Identification and Diagnosis

It's a bit misleading actually. They just amplify bits and pieces. They probably target mtDNA with PCR BLAST.
This could bring you every reading in the book. You ingest fragments of all sorts of things on a daily basis.
They way I do it is to identify something being targeted by macrophages [attack cells] and see if I can grow it in vitro or plate culture.
Other times the pathogen is seen microscopically, and it usually grows aggressively.
It is when I see the same thing in blood and stool that I send isolated specimen for 18SRNA amplification, giving me an accurate result.
Worms that are problematic should yield eggs in the stool. But, there are other visual signs of parasites in the gut if you are familiar with immune cells.
I guess if there were quantitative tests to go with PCR, the results could be diagnostically accurate\significant.
Shroom