| Abstract |
Blastocystis is a commonly occurring parasite that target the
human gut. Studies have shown that
breaking the transmission phase of the cycle is one of the
most effective ways to prevent infection. In
order to improve the understanding on the risk factors, it is
essential to hasten the identification of the
specific subtype; ST1 and ST3 which both were reported to be
a zoonotic origin. Currently, the methods of
detecting positive samples at once are laborious and time
consuming, sometimes requiring up to 3 days
(human isolate) and 7 days (animal isolate). Combinations of
multiple primers were successfully designed
into a duplex detection system targeting two subtypes. This kit
provides an accurate detection for any of
the two subtypes within approximately 2 hours through the
use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
technology. The advantages of the kit includes; 1) user-
friendly, 2) robust, 3) novel, 4) cost-effective, 5)
specific, 6) sensitive and 7) rapid. It has good
commercialization value due to its reliance on a relatively
common and cheap technology, and is able to improve the
quality of humans’ life by reducing morbidity
and mortality. |