Rapid Detection ofTheileria sergentiand Other Protozoa by Fluorescence Microscopy with 4'6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole (DAPI)

Abstract

Diagnostic value of DAPI staining was discussed infections withTheileria sergentiand other protozoa. DAPI, capable of binding to double-stranded DNA, stained the nucleus of T. sergenti giving a strong fluorescence which figureed out the characteristic morphologica 1 profile of the nucleus of T. sergenti. This unique positive staining pattern made it easy to detect the parasite in the blood of infected animals.
While the conventional Histopathological method, Giemsa staining, gave a high false negative and a false positive rate, a statistical study showed that this DAPI staining gave high reliability in the diagnosis of T.sergenti, resulting in 12.2% improvement.