Evaluation of direct and indirect methods in diagnosis of chronic intestinal schistosomiasis in Menoufia governorate

ABSTRACT

A comparative study of Kato thick smear method, modified Ritchie concentration technique [MRCT], rectal snip biopsy and indirect hemagglutination [IHA] test were done on 50 patients with chronic intestinal schistosomiasis from Monoufia Governorate, an area of Nile Delta endemic for schistosomiasis. Study revealed that a single Kato-preparation was not sufficient to determine correctly the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infection particularly in chronic cases [22%], the accuracy was maximized by examining stool samples obtained from the same patient by MRCT [46%]. Rectal snip biopsy and IHA test showed high positivity rate of 80% and 74%, respectively. It is recommended to combine stool examination by MRCT with either rectal snip or IHA test according to the condition of patient as the former can not be performed on routine basis