Background The Kato-Katz technique is recommended worldwide for the diagnosis of intestinal schistosomiasis, detecting parasite eggs in feces of infected people. However, new tests have been developed in order to facilitate diagnosis, e.g. by detection of specific antigens secreted by schistosomes, such as the circulating cathodic antigen (CCA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen test (POC-CCA) compared to the Kato-Katz technique in a low prevalence area in the Amazon Region, located in the municipality of Primavera, State of Pará, Brazil. Methods Positivity rates of the POC-CCA test and the Kato-Katz technique were calculated. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and kappa coefficient were determined by comparing both methods. The reference standard was established using 16 Kato-Katz slides, 12 of the first fecal sample, two of the second and two of the third one. The study also included the concordance between POC-CCA results and different numbers and combinations of Kato-Katz slides. Results The prevalence of schistosomiasis according to the reference standard or POC-CCA test reached a rate of 9.4% or 23.9%, respectively, among a total of 372 participants. The positivity rates by the Kato-Katz technique increased from 2.4 to 9.4%, according to the increase in the number of slides examined and fecal samples collected. A sensitivity of 55.6%, specificity 76.9%, accuracy 76% and κ coefficient of 0.06 was observed by comparing one slide of the first sample and POC-CCA. Comparing 6 slides from three different samples, two slides of each, with POC-CCA resulted in a sensitivity of 58.3%, specificity 78.4%, accuracy 77% and κ coefficient of 0.16. Finally, the comparison of 16 slides from three different samples with POC-CCA revealed a sensitivity of 65.7%, specificity 80.4%, accuracy 79%, and κ coefficient of 0.27. Conclusions The immunochromatographic test has the potential to be an important tool to combat schistosomiasis because of its practicality and applicability but should be applied with caution in low prevalence areas and in programs that aim to eliminate this disease. Trial registration CAAE#21824513.9.0000.5091 . January 31st, 2014. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40249-019-0551-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction: Schistosomiasis is a poverty-related disease that affects people in 78 countries worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test performance using sensitive parasitological methods as a reference standard (RS) in individuals before and after treatment. Methods: The RS was established by combining the results of 16 Kato-Katz slides and the Helmintex ® method. Positivity rates of the POC-CCA test and Kato-Katz and Helmintex ® methods were calculated before treatment and 30 days afterward. Furthermore, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and kappa coefficient before treatment were determined by comparing the methods. The cure rate was defined 30 days after treatment. Results: Among the 217 participants, the RS detected a total of 63 (29.0%) positive individuals. The POC-CCA test identified 79 (36.4%) infections. The evaluation of POC-CCA test performance in relation to the RS revealed a sensitivity of 61.9%, specificity of 74.0%, accuracy of 70.5%, and kappa coefficient of 0.33. Out of the 53 remaining participants after treatment, a total of 45 (81.1%) showed egg negative results, and 8 (18.9%) were egg positive according to the RS. A total of 5 (9.4%) egg-positive and 37 (69.8%) egg-negative individuals were positive by the POC-CCA test. Conclusions: Our data show that the POC-CCA test has potential as an auxiliary tool for the diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni infection, yielding better results than 16 Kato-Katz slides from three different stool samples. However, the immunochromatographic test lacks sufficient specificity and sensitivity for verifying the cure rate after treatment.

No abstract