Imaging as a (pre)clinical tool in parasitology.

Implementation of immunohistochemistry and computer vision can improve the specificity/sensitivity of microscopy-based diagnostics for parasitic infections and decrease their labor intensity. For accurate diagnosis of parasitic infections, the right body sites need to be assessed. Non-invasive radiological imaging techniques provide a means to assess body sites that are not (easily) accessible for specimen collection. Because of the relatively high prevalence of parasitic infections in low-resource settings, innovation of diagnostics includes reducing the costs of the hardware needed. Quantitative imaging of parasite behavior provides a functional readout of antiparasitic strategies and has enhanced the throughput of drug screens. Real-time tracking of parasites in the host can provide fundamental insights needed for the rational design of antiparasitic strategies. Imaging of parasites is central to diagnosis of many parasitic diseases and has thus far played an important role in the development of antiparasitic strategies. The development of novel imaging technologies has revolutionized medicine in fields other than parasitology and has also opened up new avenues for the visualization of parasites. Here we review the role imaging technology has played so far in parasitology and how it may spur further advancement. We point out possibilities to improve current microscopy-based diagnostic methods and how to extend them with radiological imaging modalities. We also highlight in vivo tracking of parasites as a readout for efficacy of new antiparasitic strategies and as a source of fundamental insights for rational design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]