Dientamoebiasis

Dientamoebiasis is an intestinal infection of diverse manifestations that is caused by the protozoan parasite Dientamoeba fragilis. Our company is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to combat dientamoebiasis. Our services encompass a comprehensive range of preclinical research and development activities aimed at creating effective vaccines and therapeutics.

Overview of Dientamoebiasis

Dientamoeba fragilis is a flagellated anaerobic protozoan parasite that resides within the human gastrointestinal tract which causes Dientamoebiasis. It is still unclear whether this organism has ever caused significant disease in people. Children seem to carry D. fragilis in their intestines at higher rate compared to adults, and often exhibit some combination of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. D. fragilis has an unusual epidemiological profile: its prevalence seems to range significantly from studies of some populations with 0.3% to others with up to 52% infection rates.

Fig.1 Pleomorphic trophozoites of D. fragilis. (Stark D., et al., 2016)

Diagnostics Development for Dientamoebiasis

The precise laboratory diagnostics is necessary for the good therapeutics of Dientamoebiasis. Traditionally, light microscopy based techniques was the principal diagnostic approach employed, but these have low sensitivity. Advances in molecular techniques have improved the accuracy of D. fragilis detection, putting Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) diagnosis as the gold standard. RT-PCR has greater sensitivity and specificity which makes it possible to accurately detect D. fragilis in patients with lower parasitic loads.

For example, studies confirm that RT-PCR methods achieve a hundredfold detection rate as compared to using microscopy. This development is crucial in distinguishing between asymptomatic carriers and those with strong symptoms and thereby deciding on therapeutic options. Additionally, the use of multiplex PCR assays would allow for the detection of several gastrointestinal pathogens at once which would expedite the diagnostic procedure.

Therapeutics Development for Dientamoebiasis

Our Services

Our primary activity in vaccine development focuses on the comprehending immunogenicity of Dientamoeba fragilis and determining potential antigens that evoke a protective immune response. For this purpose, we aim reverse vaccinology approaches to design vaccines aimed at the specific proteins of the parasite.

Furthermore, we also focus on the development of new therapeutics for the treatment of dientamoebiasis. Our strategy includes the screening of available drugs for new indications, in addition to the design and synthesis of novel compounds with prospective anti-parasitic activity.

Our preclinical research services begin with in vitro studies to assess the efficacy of potential vaccines and therapeutics against D. fragilis. We employ cell culture systems and molecular assays to evaluate the parasite's response to various interventions. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.

All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.