title: Use of a saline gradient for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis.
abstract: The development of novel methods for parasitological diagnosis that are both highly sensitive and low in cost has been strongly recommended by the World Health Organization. In this study, a new technique for diagnosis of schistosomiasis mansoni is proposed based on the differential sedimentation of eggs when subjected to a slow continuous flux of 3% saline solution through a porous plaque. This influx suspends low-density faecal material, effectively cleaning the sample. The remaining sediment covering the porous plaque surface is then transferred to a glass slide and examined under a bright field microscope. Twelve Kato-Katz slides were used for comparison in the present study. Our results suggest that the saline gradient method detects a significantly higher number of eggs than the 12 Kato-Katz slides (p < 0.0001). We also found microscopic inspection to be quicker and easier with our newly described method. After cleaning the sample, the obtained sediment can also be conserved in a 10% formaldehyde solution and examined for at least 45 days later without statistically significant egg count differences.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Esquistossomose, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou-Fiocruz, Av. Augusto de Lima 1715, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. coelhopm@cpqrr.fiocruz.br
authors.forename: Paulo Marcos Z
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.forename: Arnon D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Jurberg
authors.forename: Aureo A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Naftale
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012965:Sodium Chloride
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride