Diagnosis of echinococcosis by detecting circulating cell-free DNA and miRNA.

INTRODUCTION: : Diagnosis of echinococcosis is difficult and usually performed based on clinical findings, imaging, and serological test. However, clinical manifestations are not specific and often develop in the later stages of the disease. Immunological and imaging methods have limitations, especially in follow-up approaches.

AREAS COVERED: : Detection of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and micro RNA (miRNA) is currently a hot topic for diagnosis of echinococcosis diseases. For detecting cell-free DNA in echinococcosis patient's samples such as sera, some techniques are based on next-generation sequencing (NGS), DNA-deep sequencing, some are based on PCR-based methods, and a few works related to the detection of micro RNA for the diagnosis of human echinococcosis.

EXPERT OPINION: : In the detection of cell-free DNA in echinococcosis patient' samples, NGS and DNA-deep sequencing, have shown high level of sensitivity, but are not suitable for routine clinical examination as they are expensive and inaccessible in the majority of endemic areas. However, PCR-based methods have shown a sensitivity of about 20-25%. To improve the sensitivity of these tests, improving the DNA extraction method, designing appropriate primers for detecting short-length fragments of circulating DNA, using a higher volume of a serum sample, and application of more sensitive PCR methods are recommended. In the field of micro RNA detection, further works are recommended.