Mini- FLOTAC Technique as a Diagnostic Tool for Intestinal Parasitosis in Low Intensity Settings | ||
| Journal of High Institute of Public Health | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 27 April 2025 PDF (365.1 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jhiph.2025.424548 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Amany I. Shehata* 1; Sally A. Ezzat2; Amel A. El-Sahn1; Safaa M. Eassa1 | ||
| 1Department of Tropical Health, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Egypt | ||
| 2El- Amrya Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are major health problems in developing countries. Globally, over 568 million school-age children live in intestinal helminth prevalent areas. Diagnosis is an important part of parasitic control programs, but till now there is no gold standard method for diagnosing IPIs. Objective(s): The present work aimed to evaluate the performance of Mini-FLOTAC by comparing it with Kato-Katz and formol ether concentration techniques (FECT) and to validate its diagnostic effectiveness in detecting intestinal parasites in a population with low infection intensities. Methods: The study was carried out in a primary school, in Banger El-Sokkar vilage, Borg El-Arab area, Alexandria Governorate, Egypt. Fecal samples were collected from 250 schoolchildren and examined using Mini-FLOTAC, FECT and Kato-Katz techniques. Results: Pooled data from the three techniques was used as gold standard reference. The results revealed that out of 250 schoolchildren examined, 36.4% were positive for IPIs. Protozoan rate was 34.8% while helminths rate was 1.6%. The most prevalent protozoan was Entamoeba histolytica (18.8%) followed by B. hominis (11.2%) and Giardia lamblia (10.8%). Ascaris lumbricoides was the only helminth found (1.6%). Mini-FLOTAC showed a higher sensitivity and a higher diagnostic accuracy in detecting IPIs than FECT (97.8% and 99.2% versus 69.23% and 88.8% respectively). Moreover, an almost perfect agreement was revealed between the gold standard and the Mini-FLOTAC while an only substantial agreement was detected with FECT. Kato-katz technique failed to diagnose any helminths. Conclusion: Mini-FLOTAC is a good alternative for IPIs diagnosis especially in low intensity settings and in limited resources settings. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Mini-FLOTAC; intestinal parasites; schoolchildren; diagnostic performance | ||
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