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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2008, p. 3077-3079, Vol. 46, No. 9
0095-1137/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01151-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Cost-Effectiveness of Detection of Intestinal Amebiasis by Using Serology and Specific-Amebic-Antigen Assays among Persons with or without Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection{triangledown}

Sui-Yuan Chang,1,2 Hsin-Yun Sun,3 Dar-Der Ji,4 Yi-Chun Lo,3 Cheng-Hsin Wu,3 Pei-Ying Wu,3 Wen-Chun Liu,3 Chien-Ching Hung,3* and Shan-Chwen Chang3

Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan,1 Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan,2 Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan,3 Research and Diagnostic Center, Centers for Disease Control, Department of Health, Taipei, Taiwan4

Received 18 June 2008/ Accepted 23 June 2008

Among 345 persons who underwent indirect hemagglutination (IHA) serological assays and assays of specific amebic antigens in their stool samples, 24 of 36 (66.7%) who were seropositive for Entamoeba histolytica had intestinal amebiasis as determined by antigen assays compared with 2 of 309 (0.2%) who were seronegative (odds ratio, 307; 95% confidence interval, 64.9 to 1,451). The estimated cost to detect a case of intestinal amebiasis by serology followed by antigen assays ($52) could be reduced by 74.3% and 69.9%, respectively, compared with the costs of the concurrent use of both assays ($202) and the antigen assays alone ($173). Our finding suggests that IHA assays followed by specific-amebic-antigen assays can be cost-effective in the diagnosis of intestinal amebiasis among persons with or without human immunodeficiency virus infection who are at risk for E. histolytica infection.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan. Phone: 886-2-23123456, ext. 7552. Fax: 886-2-23707772. E-mail: hcc0401{at}ntu.edu.tw

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 2 July 2008.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2008, p. 3077-3079, Vol. 46, No. 9
0095-1137/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01151-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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