Diagnostic performance of parasitological, immunological and molecular tests for the diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection in a community of low transmission in Venezuela

Elizabeth Ferrer, Berenice Villegas, Lapo Mughini-Gras, Diego Hernández, Verónica Jiménez, Emily Catalano, Renzo Nino Incani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

In Venezuela, areas endemic for schistosomiasis are of low transmission, with low parasite loads. Immunological tests often lack specificity and cannot differentiate past from present infections. Molecular tests are an alternative, although validation studies in endemic areas are needed. The aim of this study was to determine the performance of parasitological, immunological and molecular tests for the diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection in low-transmission settings. A cross-sectional study was carried out in a rural community located in a schistosomiasis-endemic area of Venezuela to determine the prevalence and diagnostic performance of the Kato-Katz (KK) technique, Circumoval Precipitin Test (COPT), ELISA based on soluble egg antigen (ELISA-SEA) with and without treatment with sodium metaperiodate (ELISA-SEA-SMP), and PCR for amplification of the 121 bp highly repeated sequence of Schistosoma mansoni in faeces, urine and serum samples. The highest prevalence rates were obtained with ELISA-SEA (38.7%), COPT (33.3%), ELISA-SEA-SMP (31.5%), PCR on faeces (21.6%), and KK (17.1%), whereas PCR-based prevalence in urine was 6.2% and no positivity was detected in serum samples. Results showed that ELISA-SEA is the best method for the diagnosis of both current and former infections and that PCR on faeces is the best method for detecting recent transmission. The use of different tests that complement one another also allowed for a better diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection, revealing a relatively high prevalence (33.8%) of schistosomiasis in a community of low transmission.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105360
Pages (from-to)1-7
JournalActa Tropica
Volume204
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2020

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Helminth/immunology
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Feces/parasitology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parasite Load
  • Prevalence
  • Schistosoma mansoni/immunology
  • Schistosomiasis mansoni/diagnosis
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Venezuela/epidemiology
  • Young Adult
  • Schistosomiasis
  • Kato–Katz
  • immunodiagnosis
  • PCR
  • Low transmission area
  • Venezuela

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