PLoS neglected tropical diseases· 2014Q1· Review
Merits and Pitfalls of Currently Used Diagnostic Tools in Mycetoma
- 125citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Current diagnostic tools for mycetoma, including imaging, cytology, histology, serology, culture, phenotypic characterization, and molecular diagnostics, each have limitations in accurately identifying causative agents and disease extent.
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Key points
- Mycetoma diagnosis relies on identifying causative organisms (actinomycetes or fungi).
- Existing diagnostic methods include imaging, cytology, histology, serology, culture, phenotypic, and molecular techniques.
- Each current diagnostic tool has specific merits and pitfalls.
- No single ideal diagnostic tool is currently available for mycetoma.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Treatment of mycetoma depends on the causative organism and since many organisms, both actinomycetes (actinomycetoma) and fungi (eumycetoma), are capable of producing mycetoma, an accurate diagnosis is crucial. Currently, multiple diagnostic tools are used to determine the extent of infections and to identify the causative agents of mycetoma. These include various imaging, cytological, histopathological, serological, and culture techniques; phenotypic characterisation; and molecular diagnostics. In this review, we summarize these techniques and identify their merits and pitfalls in the identification of the causative agents of mycetoma and the extent of the disease. We also emphasize the fact that there is no ideal diagnostic tool available to identify the causative agents and that future research should focus on the development of new and reliable diagnostic tools.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Microbiology
MicrobiologyMedicine