Evaluation of an antigen-capture enzyme immunoassay for detection of Entamoeba histolytica in stool samples.

In order to identify the prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica in tourists with diarrhoea returning from countries of the developing world, sensitivity and specificity of a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kit for the detection of Entamoeba histolytica coproantigen in stool were evaluated. Five hundred seventy-seven specimens from 469 patients were examined by microscopy and EIA. Sixty-two specimens from 49 patients were considered positive for Entamoeba histolytica. Compared with microscopic examination of stool samples, the EIA was found to be slightly more sensitive (90.3% vs. 87.1%) and was 97.7% specific for Entamoeba histolytica.