Evaluation of the Biosynex AMPLIQUICK® Fecal Parasitology assays in a Belgian travel clinic.
- 1Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat, Antwerp, Belgium.
- 2Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
- 3Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Abstract
Introduction
Molecular diagnostics have improved infectious disease detection, yet their role in parasitology remains nuanced.Methods
We compared the performance of the AMPLIQUICK®Fecal Parasitology assay with the conventional methods encompassing microscopy, antigen testing and in-house PCR testing, in a reference laboratory for parasitology in a travel clinic. The detection of protozoa, helminths, and microsporidia was evaluated on 107 stool samples from 99 patients with suspected gastrointestinal parasitic infections, of which 40 specimens were tested retrospectively and 67 were collected prospectively.Results
AMPLIQUICK® demonstrated high accuracy for protozoa and microsporidia (94.6%, 35/37) detecting all Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba dispar, most Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp., and all Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon spp. The assay detected more Dientamoeba fragilis (24 vs. 12) and Blastocystis sp. (61 vs. 44) than the conventional method but the correctness of these results could not be established. AMPLIQUICK® reliably detected most clinically relevant helminths, including Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides spp., Hymenolepis nana, Taenia spp., and Enterobius vermicularis. Hookworms, Trichuris trichiura, Schistosoma mansoni, Heterophyidae/Opisthorchidae and Trichostrongylus spp. were occasionally missed.Discussion
AMPLIQUICK® demonstrated good performance compared to the conventional methods and has the potential to improve parasitology diagnostics, particularly in laboratories with limited expertise. Clinicians should interpret findings in the patient's clinical context.
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BibTeX
@article{coppens2026evaluation,
title = {{Evaluation of the Biosynex AMPLIQUICK® Fecal Parasitology assays in a Belgian travel clinic.}},
author = {Jasmine Coppens and Jean-Marc Schwob and Karin Van Looveren and Jolien Baeyens and Marjan Van Esbroeck},
journal = {Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fcimb.2026.1816447},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908692},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Evaluation of the Biosynex AMPLIQUICK® Fecal Parasitology assays in a Belgian travel clinic.
AU - Jasmine Coppens
AU - Jean-Marc Schwob
AU - Karin Van Looveren
AU - Jolien Baeyens
AU - Marjan Van Esbroeck
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1816447
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908692
AB - Introduction Molecular diagnostics have improved infectious disease detection, yet their role in parasitology remains nuanced.Methods We compared the performance of the AMPLIQUICK®Fecal Parasitology assay with the conventional methods encompassing microscopy, antigen testing and in-house PCR testing, in a reference laboratory for parasitology in a travel clinic. The detection of protozoa, helminths, and microsporidia was evaluated on 107 stool samples from 99 patients with suspected gastrointestinal parasitic infections, of which 40 specimens were tested retrospectively and 67 were collected prospectively.Results AMPLIQUICK® demonstrated high accuracy for protozoa and microsporidia (94.6%, 35/37) detecting all Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba dispar, most Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp., and all Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon spp. The assay detected more Dientamoeba fragilis (24 vs. 12) and Blastocystis sp. (61 vs. 44) than the conventional method but the correctness of these results could not be established. AMPLIQUICK® reliably detected most clinically relevant helminths, including Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides spp., Hymenolepis nana, Taenia spp., and Enterobius vermicularis. Hookworms, Trichuris trichiura, Schistosoma mansoni, Heterophyidae/Opisthorchidae and Trichostrongylus spp. were occasionally missed.Discussion AMPLIQUICK® demonstrated good performance compared to the conventional methods and has the potential to improve parasitology diagnostics, particularly in laboratories with limited expertise. Clinicians should interpret findings in the patient's clinical context.
SN - 2235-2988
ER -