Molecular diagnosis of parasitic diseases in Korea

Abstract

The aim of this review is to provide practical guidance for the molecular diagnosis of parasitic diseases in Korea in 2024. Specifically, the prevalence of parasitic diseases, commercially available molecular diagnostic kits, and reference laboratories for molecular diagnosis are presented. It is based on the literature and the medical diagnosis device database of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. In Korea, molecular diagnostic kits are available for intestinal protozoa (Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium hominis, and Cryptosporidium parvum), Trichomonas vaginalis, and malarial parasites. Molecular diagnosis of other parasites is also possible; however, there is no commercially available kit. Therefore, parasite samples or derivatives for molecular diagnosis should be sent to specific laboratories, the parasitology departments of medical schools, or the Division of Vectors and Parasitic Diseases, Bureau of Infectious Disease Diagnosis Control at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. In commercial diagnostic kits, multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to rapidly and easily detect the amplified parasitic DNA. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was developed to diagnose T. vaginalis and Acanthamoeba infections. Its merits are that it does not require a PCR machine and has a short test time of approximately 60 min. Although LAMP is not commercially available, it may be widely used to screen for parasitic diseases. Commercial molecular diagnostic kits for parasitic diseases are limited to the clinical setting in Korea. Available kits are used to diagnose certain intestinal protozoa, T. vaginalis, and to differentiate Plasmodium species using multiplex PCR.

Keywords

• malaria
• multiplex polymerase chain reaction
• real-time polymerase chain reaction
• republic of korea
• trichomonas vaginalis