Smith L A
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7772, USA.
Clin Lab Sci. 1997 Sep-Oct;10(5):279-86.
The discovery of new infectious agents often overshadows the continuing impact and importance of well-established organisms. In the case of diarrheal disease, Entamoeba histolytica and its complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Although it is also present in developing countries, Giardia lamblia is a primary cause of waterborne outbreaks of diarrhea in developed countries. Persons at risk of developing giardiasis in these countries include backpackers and campers who drink untreated stream water or persons who drink improperly treated municipal water containing infective cysts. Investigators have recently identified the mechanisms used by these organisms to colonize the intestinal tract and to cause disease. New methods of identification using immunologic principles have been added to the traditional microscopic methods of identification.
新传染病原体的发现常常使已被熟知的病原体持续产生的影响和重要性黯然失色。就腹泻病而言，溶组织内阿米巴及其并发症仍是发展中国家发病和死亡的主要原因。虽然贾第虫在发展中国家也有出现，但它却是发达国家水源性腹泻暴发的主要病因。在这些国家，有感染贾第虫风险的人群包括饮用未处理溪水的背包客和露营者，或饮用含有感染性包囊的未妥善处理的市政供水的人群。研究人员最近已经明确了这些病原体在肠道内定殖并引发疾病所采用的机制。利用免疫学原理的新鉴定方法已被添加到传统的显微镜鉴定方法中。
