{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]],"date-time":"2026-01-26T10:03:38Z","timestamp":1769421818099,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Korean Society for Parasitology","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,30]],"date-time":"2020-04-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1588204800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/3.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100006261","name":"Taif University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["1-439-6081"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1-439-6081"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100006261","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["parasitol.kr"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Korean J Parasitol"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In most developing countries, &lt;i&gt;Dientamoeba fragilis&lt;\/i&gt; infection is an obscure protozoan infection. We aimed to determine a frequency and clinical importance of &lt;i&gt;D. fragilis&lt;\/i&gt; infection in Taif, Saudi Arabia. A 1-year case control study included patients with gastrointestinal (cases, n=114) or non-gastrointestinal symptoms (controls, n=90). The fecal samples were examined with the classical parasitological methods for intestinal protozoa, and by real time PCR for &lt;i&gt;D. fragilis&lt;\/i&gt;. The infection by &lt;i&gt;D. fragilis&lt;\/i&gt; was detected in 5.8% by PCR and in 4.4% patients by microscopy. The infection was identified more in control group (n=9) than in cases (n=3); a sole infection in 11 patients and mixed with &lt;i&gt;Giardia&lt;\/i&gt; in 1 patient. The other enteric parasites detected were &lt;i&gt;Blastocystis&lt;\/i&gt; sp. (8.3%), &lt;i&gt;Giardia&lt;\/i&gt; sp. (5.3%), &lt;i&gt;Cryptosporidium&lt;\/i&gt; sp. (2.9%), &lt;i&gt;Entamoeba histolytica&lt;\/i&gt; (1.4%), &lt;i&gt;Entamoeba coli&lt;\/i&gt; (0.9%) and &lt;i&gt;Hymenolepis nana&lt;\/i&gt; (0.4%). Our results tend to reinforce the need to increase awareness of &lt;i&gt;D. fragilis&lt;\/i&gt; infection in Saudi Arabia. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3347\/kjp.2020.58.2.129","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,30]],"date-time":"2020-04-30T12:52:14Z","timestamp":1588251134000},"page":"129-134","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3347\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Dientamoeba fragilis Infection in Patients with Digestive and Non-Digestive Symptoms: A Case-Control Study"],"prefix":"10.3347","volume":"58","author":[{"given":"Yousry A.","family":"Hawash","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Khadiga A.","family":"Ismail","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Taisir","family":"Saber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Emad M.","family":"Eed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Amany S.","family":"Khalifa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Khalaf F.","family":"Alsharif","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Saleh A.","family":"Alghamdi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1900","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","first-page":"42","volume-title":"Detection of <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> in animal faeces using species-specific real-time PCR assay","author":"Chan","year":"2016"},{"key":"ref2","first-page":"2243","volume-title":"<italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic>, one of the neglected intestinal Protozoa","author":"Garcia","year":"2016"},{"key":"ref3","first-page":"73","volume-title":"Molecular epidemiology of <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic>","author":"Cacci\u00f2","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref4","first-page":"971","volume-title":"Does <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> cause diarrhea? 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detection of <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic>","author":"Calderaro","year":"2010"},{"key":"ref21","first-page":"411","volume-title":"Comparison of microscopy, two xenic culture techniques, conventional and real-time PCR for the detection of <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> in clinical stool samples","author":"Stark","year":"2010"},{"key":"ref22","first-page":"1800546","volume-title":"<italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> - the most common intestinal protozoan in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland, 2007 to 2017","author":"Pietil\u00e4","year":"2019"},{"key":"ref23","first-page":"232","volume-title":"Evaluation of three diagnostic methods, including real-time PCR, for detection of <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> in stool specimens","author":"Stark","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref24","first-page":"869","volume-title":"Parasitological diagnosis combining an internally controlled real-time PCR assay for the detection of four protozoa in stool samples with a testing 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pain","author":"Gijsbers","year":"2011"},{"key":"ref29","first-page":"1303","volume-title":"<italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> in Denmark: epidemiological experience derived from four years of routine real-time PCR","author":"R\u00f6ser","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref30","first-page":"369","volume-title":"Associations between gut microbiota and common luminal intestinal parasites","author":"Stensvold","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref31","first-page":"162","volume-title":"Investigation of <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> prevalence and evaluation of sociodemographic and clinical features in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms","author":"Aykur","year":"2019"},{"key":"ref32","first-page":"819","volume-title":"A case-controlled study of <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> infections in children","author":"Banik","year":"2011"},{"key":"ref33","first-page":"249","volume-title":"<italic>Dientamoeba fragilis<\/italic> in Gaza Strip: a neglected protozoan 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eggs","author":"\u00d6gren","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref39","first-page":"906","volume-title":"Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and its relationship with socio\u2013demographics and hygienic habits among male primary schoolchildren in Al\u2013Ahsa, Saudi Arabia","author":"Al-Mohammed","year":"2010"}],"container-title":["The Korean Journal of 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