sodium-acetate--anhydrous and Ascariasis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Kato-Katz test (WHO version) with stool samples from a rural area, fixed with sodium acetate (SAF). The Kato-Katz test was used to compare unfixed samples (conventional test) with the same samples containing SAF fixative at time 0 and at 6 months. The study included stools from 154 subjects. A marginally statistically significant decrease in prevalence was estimated only for hookworm, when comparing unfixed samples versus the SAF fixed samples read at 6 months (p=0.06). A significant reduction in parasite load was found for hookworm (p<0.01) and Trichuris trichiura (p<0.01) between the unfixed and the fixed sample read at 6 months, but not for Ascaris lumbricoides (p=0.10). This research suggests that the SAF fixative solution is a good option for transporting samples for diagnosis, especially in rural areas in developing countries.

Topics: Adult; Ancylostomatoidea; Animals; Ascariasis; Ascaris lumbricoides; Biological Transport; Colombia; Developing Countries; Feces; Female; Fixatives; Helminthiasis; Hookworm Infections; Humans; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Intestines; Male; Middle Aged; Parasite Egg Count; Parasite Load; Prevalence; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sodium Acetate; Soil; Time Factors; Trichuris; World Health Organization