Abstract
BackgroundAlthough the sensitivity of Wet mount technique is questionable, it is the major diagnostic technique for routine diagnosis of intestinal parasitosis in Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this study was the evaluation performance of diagnostic methods of intestinal parasitosis in school age children in Ethiopia.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted from May to June 2013. Single stool sample was processed for direct, Formol ether concentration (FEC) and Kato Katz methods. The sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) of diagnostic tests were calculated in terms of the “Gold” standard method (the combined result of the three methods altogether).ResultsA total of 422 school age children were participated in this study. The prevalence of intestinal parasites was high (74.6 %) with Kato Katz technique. The sensitivity of Wet mount, FEC and Kato Katz tests against the Gold standard test was 48.9, 63.1 and 93.7 %, respectively. Kato Katz technique revealed a better NPV 80.4 (80.1–80.6) as compared to the Wet mount (33.7 %) and FEC techniques (41.3 %).ConclusionIn this study, the Kato Katz technique outperformed the other two methods but the true values for sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic values are not known. Moreover, it is labor intensive and not easily accessible. Hence, it is preferable to use FEC technique to complement the Wet mount test.
Highlights
The sensitivity of Wet mount technique is questionable, it is the major diagnostic technique for routine diagnosis of intestinal parasitosis in Ethiopia
Direct wet mount, Formol ether concentration (FEC) and Kato Katz techniques have been used as a means of diagnosis for several years [2]
*Correspondence: yimermulat@gmail.com Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, College of Medicine and Health Science, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia issues of specificity and the inability of antibody detection methods to distinguish between current and past infections are still of concern [3, 4]. Other diagnostic methods such as Kato-Katz and FEC techniques are available, direct wet mount is commonly used as a diagnostic method for the diagnosis of both protozoal and helminthic infections generally in Africa and in Ethiopia [5, 6]
Summary
The sensitivity of Wet mount technique is questionable, it is the major diagnostic technique for routine diagnosis of intestinal parasitosis in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was the evaluation performance of diagnostic methods of intestinal parasitosis in school age children in Ethiopia. Intestinal parasitoses are common parasitic infections in Ethiopia especially in school age children. Direct wet mount, Formol ether concentration (FEC) and Kato Katz techniques have been used as a means of diagnosis for several years [2]. Immunoassays have high sensitivities (>90 %) and ease of use when compared with coprological methods, but other diagnostic methods such as Kato-Katz and FEC techniques are available, direct wet mount is commonly used as a diagnostic method for the diagnosis of both protozoal and helminthic infections generally in Africa and in Ethiopia [5, 6]. Low sensitivity of the direct wet mount technique has been reported in the detection of low intensity of infection [7]
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