Diagnosis of Lophomonas blattarum in bronchoalveolar lavage samples

Lophomonas blattarum is a multi-flagellate protozoan which causes bronchopulmonary infection in human. As the culture and molecular diagnosis of Lophomonas blattarum have not yet been developed, direct slide examination from Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) or sputum is the best method for diagnosis of Lophomonas with morphological features. In the present study, in order to achieve quick and easy identification of Lophomonas, the sensitivity of different staining techniques has been investigated in comparison with the direct wet slide as the gold standard. Giemsa, Trichrome, and Papanicolaou stained-slides have been examined in patients who had lophomoniasis. Material &Methods BAL samples of patients suspected to lophomoniasis were collected. After confirmation of Lophomonas blattarum by observation in the direct test, the slides were prepared using Geimsa, Trichrome, and Papanicolaou staining for each patient. Results Among 158 BAL specimens sent to Imam Reza hospital lab, 50 samples were positive by direct microscopic examination which was stained by Giemsa, Trichrome, and Papanicolaou techniques. The highest sensitivity was seen for Papanicolaou staining with 16% and then Geimsa and Trichrome staining with 12% and 8%, respectively. Conclusion The results of this study show the Papanicolaou staining method had the best sensitivity compared to Giemsa, Trichrome stained-slides for differential diagnosis of this protozoan from epithelial cells.