Performances of Mini Parasep SF stool concentrator kit , Kato-Katz and formalin-ethyl acetate concentration methods for diagnosis of opisthorchiasis among residents in an endemic community in northeast Thailand

Background Control and elimination of the liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini) is a primary preventive strategy against cholangiocarcinoma in Southeast Asia. A sensitive parasitological diagnostic method is required to facilitate such a surveillance and control program. In this study, we evaluated the performance of Mini Parasep SF stool concentrator kit (stool kit) in comparison with Kato-Katz (KK) and the quantitative formalin-ethyl acetate concentration technique (FECT) for detection of O. viverrini and coexisted parasitic infections. Methods A cross-sectional survey of parasitic infection of residents age O. viverrini was 32.63%, followed by Taenia 2.65%, echinostomes 1.76%, hookworms 1.41%, Trichuris trichiura 0.53%, and Strongyloides stercoralis 0.53%. Within a subset of samples tested with multiple diagnostics (n=150), the detection rates of O. viverrini by the stool kit, FECT, and KK methods were 27.3%, 30.7%, and 28.7%, respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity for opisthorchiasis were similar for FECT (75.4%) and KK (70.5%) and was lower for the stool kit (67.2%, pS. stercoralis, and coinfections. The intensity of O. viverrini infection (fecal egg counts) by the stool kit had significant positive correlations with KK as well as FECT (p