Criteria for evaluation of proposed protozoan detection methods

There has been a proliferation of techniques and methods reported for analysis of water samples to determine the presence of the protozoan pathogens Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia. Many of the proposed methods are presented as complete procedures, which include sampling, processing, staining, or detection steps while other methods are not complete. Some proposed methods have been extensively tested in multi-laboratory settings, however, others are still in the developmental stage. A set of evaluation criteria has been developed to evaluate the many proposed methods. These criteria have been applied as an example, to an existing method. These criteria should be useful to individuals attempting to evaluate methods developed for detecting protozoa in water, and conversely, they should serve as a guideline for individuals interested in developing methods, allowing them to gather data with and about their methods, and present this data in a manner that is both logical and easily evaluated.