Comparative evaluation of the merthiolate-iodine-formaldehyde concentration technique and the Kato-Katz technique in the quantitative diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica

A total of 384 stool specimens found to be positive for schistosoma eggs using the Direct Fecal Smear were further examined quantitatively by the MIFC and the Kato-Katz techniques. MIFC has a higher efficiency rate (95.57%) as compared to Kato-Katz technique (73.43%). Kato-Katz yields a higher percentage of false negatives (26.56%). These found to be statistically significant. With regards to quantification, Kato-Katz has a higher mean egg difference (245.69%) but this was found to be statistically significant. Thus, MIFC technique is more reliable and efficient than Kato-Katz in the quantitative diagnosis of Schistosomiasis japonica. (Auth. Sum.)