disclosed is a rapid , dual purpose , pcr - based method for identifying two or more pathogens , including giardia and / or cryptosporidium , in an extracted sample , such as stool or environmental isolates , in individual real - time pcr reactions . this method is of particular utility for clinical , veterinary , and environmental testing applications . the present methods are more sensitive than conventional elisa or ifa - based methods of detection . an internal control for use in the pcr based nucleic acid detection method is also disclosed .