Comparison of four diagnostic techniques for Cryptosporidium detection in Qatar

Cryptosporidium is a common pathogenic parasite known to cause diarrhea in humans and animals, particularly in young children living in poor conditions. Although diarrheal disease is usually mild in immunocompetent individuals, it may progress into a life-threatening complication among the immunocompromised. Due to insensitive conventional diagnostic methods, the identification of Cryptosporidium can be inaccurate and challenging. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis infection in Qatar by comparing four different diagnostic methods for detecting Cryptosporidium in human stool samples.

From January 2018 to December 2019, stool samples from patients with various gastrointestinal symptoms were collected at the microbiology laboratory at Hamad General Hospital in Qatar for parasitic detection. The stool samples were tested using four diagnostic methods: routine microscopy, immunochromatography (ICT), multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and modified Kinyoun's acid-fast stain (MKS).

In the evaluation of the four different detection methods, 36 (18%) out of 205 stool samples tested positive for Cryptosporidium, with detection rates of 18%, 15%, 7%, and 6% using PCR, ICT, MKS, and routine microscopy, respectively.

The superior sensitivity of PCR and ICT supports their integration into routine diagnostics to improve the detection and public health surveillance of cryptosporidiosis in Qatar.