Evaluation of Lab-on-a-Disc Technique Performance for Soil-Transmitted Helminth Diagnosis in Animals in Tanzania

Sarah L Rubagumya; Jahashi Nzalawahe; Gerald Misinzo; Humphrey D Mazigo; Matthieu Briet; Vyacheslav R Misko; Wim De Malsche; Filip Legein; Nyanda C Justine; Namanya Basinda; Eliakunda Mafie

doi:10.3390/vetsci11040174

Evaluation of Lab-on-a-Disc Technique Performance for Soil-Transmitted Helminth Diagnosis in Animals in Tanzania

Vet Sci. 2024 Apr 13;11(4):174. doi: 10.3390/vetsci11040174.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, College of Health and Allied Sciences, St. Joseph University in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 11007, Tanzania.
² Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3019, Tanzania.
³ SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3297, Tanzania.
⁴ Department of Medical Parasitology, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza P.O. Box 1464, Tanzania.
⁵ µFlow Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.

Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are caused by roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and thread worms. Accurate diagnosis is essential for effective treatment, prevention, and control of these infections. This study evaluates a new diagnostic method called Single-image Parasite Quantification (SIMPAQ), which uses a lab-on-a-disc (LoD) technique to isolate STH eggs into a single imaging zone for digital analysis. The study evaluates the purification performance of the SIMPAQ technique for detecting STH eggs in animal samples. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 237 pigs and 281 dogs in the Morogoro region in Tanzania. Faecal samples were collected and processed with the LoD technique, as well as flotation and McMaster (McM) methods for comparison purposes. The overall prevalence of STH infections was high as per the LoD technique (74%), followed by McM (65.44%) and flotation (65.04%). Moreover, the overall performance of the LoD technique, using McM as the gold standard, was 93.51% (sensitivity), 60.89% (specificity), 81.91% (PPV), and 83.21% (NPV). The LoD technique exhibited high prevalence, sensitivity, and NPV, which demonstrates its value for STH egg detection and its crucial role in the era of accurate STH diagnosis, promoting proper management of the infection.

Keywords: LoD; McMaster; dogs; domestic pigs; flotation; soil-transmitted helminths.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR, South Initiative project). Funding number (TZ2020SIN308A105, ‘SIMPAQ in Tanzania’) based in Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS).