biostudies-literatureUnknown144(7)Kaisar MMMFor the majority of intestinal parasites, real-time PCR-based diagnosis outperforms microscopy. However, the data for Trichuris trichiura have been less convincing and most comparative studies have been performed in populations with low prevalence. This study aims to improve detection of T. trichuria DNA in human stool by evaluating four sample preparation methods. Faecal samples (n = 60) were collected at Flores island, Indonesia and examined by microscopy. Aliquots were taken and a bead-beating procedure was used both on directly frozen stool and on material preserved with 96% ethanol. PCR on frozen samples showed 40% to be positive for T. trichiura, compared with 45% positive by microscopy. The percentage positive increased when using ethanol preservation (45·0%), bead-beating (51·7%) aParasitology965-974https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC5471844biostudies-literatureImproved diagnosis of Trichuris trichiura by using a bead-beating procedure on ethanol preserved stool samples prior to DNA isolation and the performance of multiplex real-time PCR for intestinal parasites.PMC5471844Djuardi YVAN Lieshout LBrienen EATSupali TVerweij JJKaisar MMMYazdanbakhsh MSartono EfalseImproved diagnosis of Trichuris trichiura by using a bead-beating procedure on ethanol preserved stool samples prior to DNA isolation and the performance of multiplex real-time PCR for intestinal parasites.For the majority of intestinal parasites, real-time PCR-based diagnosis outperforms microscopy. However, the data for Trichuris trichiura have been less convincing and most comparative studies have been performed in populations with low prevalence. This study aims to improve detection of T. trichuria DNA in human stool by evaluating four sample preparation methods. Faecal samples (n = 60) were collected at Flores island, Indonesia and examined by microscopy. Aliquots were taken and a bead-beating procedure was used both on directly frozen stool and on material preserved with 96% ethanol. PCR on frozen samples showed 40% to be positive for T. trichiura, compared with 45% positive by microscopy. The percentage positive increased when using ethanol preservation (45·0%), bead-beating (51·7%) a2017-01-01T00:00:00Z2017 Jun2025-04-19T13:36:12.63Z2019-03-27T02:47:41ZS-EPMC54718442829026610.1017/S0031182017000129