Simple anamnestic questions and recalled water-contact patterns for self-diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection among schoolchildren in western Côte d'Ivoire.
A study to determine the diagnostic performance of simple anamnestic questions and recalled water-contact patterns for self-diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection was carried out in western C te d'Ivoire. A total of 322 schoolchildren were screened over four consecutive days with the Kato-Katz technique to assess S. mansoni and concurrent geohelminth infections. Children were individually interviewed by teachers using a standardized questionnaire asking about symptoms, reported diseases, and water-contact patterns. The cumulative infection prevalence of S. mansoni was 76.4%. Univariate statistics revealed a significant association between the level of S. mansoni infection and three recalled water contact patterns: (1) fishing with nets, (2) swimming/bathing and (3) crossing rivers, but no significant association with reported symptoms and/or reported diseases. Multivariate analysis revealed significant adjusted odds ratios (OR) for crossing the river Tchéorbour (OR = 3.90, P = 0.007), crossing the river Sonbour (OR = 3.90, P = 0.008) and swimming/bathing in the latter (OR = 3.28, P = 0.017). The diagnostic performance of these water-contact patterns was characterized by high specificities but low sensitivities, hence negative predictive values. In the village studied here, recalled water-contact patterns were more useful variables than anamnestic questions for schoolchildren's self-diagnosis of S. mansoni infection, but no generalization of these findings beyond this population is possible at this time.
Utzinger
J
J
Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel.
N'Goran
E K
EK
Tanner
M
M
Lengeler
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001493:Bathing Beaches; D002648:Child; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D015995:Prevalence; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013550:Swimming