The Apicomplexa are a diverse group of intracellular parasitic protists. The majority of species from the classes Coccidea, Haemosporea and Piroplasmea are responsible for widespread diseases of humans and domestic animals. Oocysts of these parasites can persist for long periods of time in the environment (i.e. in water, soil, on vegetation and other food resources), maintaining their infectivity even under harsh environmental conditions and therefore are important for dispersal and transmission to hosts. This review will address the biology, transmission patterns and survival in the environment of Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora and Toxoplasma species, the most common causes of human diseases.
After a long period of using basic microscopic, immunological and biochemical methods for diagnosis, rapid development of nucleic acids investigation enabled introduction of specific and sensitive methods of detection of pathogenic agents on the molecuiar level. Among others, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), discovered in mid of 80'ies and then automatized, offered an attractive alternative to conventional testing systems. In this paper we describe reliable diagnostic tests widely used in the world, including Poland, and capable of detecting different disease agents as parasites and fungi in clinical specimens and pathogens of emerging zoonotic diseases in ticks. The possibilities of using molecular methods for determination of Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance is also discussed. Moreover, the report offers information concerning kinds of molecular tests and institutions in which there are executed.
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