title: Comparison of the Kato-Katz and Helmintex methods for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis in a low-intensity transmission focus in Bandeirantes, Paraná, southern Brazil.
abstract: The diagnosis of schistosomiasis is problematic in low-intensity transmission areas because parasitological methods lack sensitivity and molecular methods are neither widely available nor extensively validated. Helmintex is a method for isolating eggs from large faecal samples. We report preliminary results of a comparative evaluation of the Helmintex and Kato-Katz (KK) methods for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis in a low-intensity transmission area in Bandeirantes, Paraná, southern Brazil. Eggs were detected by both methods in seven patients, whereas only Helmintex yielded positive results in four individuals. The results confirm the previously demonstrated higher sensitivity of the Helmintex method compared with the KK method.
authors.affiliation: Laboratórios de Biologia Parasitária, Instituto de Pesquisas Biomédicas, Faculdade de Biociências e Parasitologia Molecular, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil, 90619-900.
authors.forename: Kerlen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Caldeira
authors.forename: Candida Fagundes
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: Manoela Borges da
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Lucas Castello Costa de
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Fries
authors.forename: Juliano
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Romanzini
authors.forename: Hélio Radke
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Bittencourt
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Graeff-Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004804:Eosinophils; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000379:methods; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000379:methods*; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity