title: Comparison of the Kato-Katz thick smear and McMaster egg counting techniques for monitoring drug efficacy against soil-transmitted helminths in schoolchildren on Pemba Island, Tanzania.
abstract: The Kato-Katz thick smear technique is widely used to assess prevalence and intensity in soil-transmitted helminth (STH) control programmes, but its usefulness in monitoring anthelminthic drug efficacy needs to be validated and compared with other methods. A promising alternative is the McMaster egg counting technique. In the present study, the efficacy of single-dose albendazole against STH infections in 430 schoolchildren on Pemba Island was assessed using both the Kato-Katz and McMaster techniques. The study revealed comparable drug efficacy results for both methods and confirmed the potency of the McMaster technique as an alternative method for monitoring large-scale deworming programmes.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Laboratory, Ivo de Carneri, Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. albonico@tin.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albonico
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ame
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vercruysse
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Levecke
mesh_terms: D015766:Albendazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000635:transmission; D006376:Helminths / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology*; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D012987:Soil; D015766:Albendazole