ArticleParasites & vectors2020
The increased sensitivity of qPCR in comparison to Kato-Katz is required for the accurate assessment of the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infection in settings that have received multiple rounds of mass drug administration.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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46 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic accuracy of nucleic acid amplification tests for human intestinal nematode infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Performance of real-time polymerase chain reaction and Kato-Katz for diagnosing soil-transmitted helminth infections and evaluating treatment efficacy of emodepside in randomized controlled trials.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Trial
- A comparison of the diagnostic capability of Kato-Katz and real-time PCR for the assessment of treatment efficacy of ivermectin and albendazole combination against T. trichiura infections.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Performance of the Kato-Katz method and real time polymerase chain reaction for the diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in the framework of a randomised controlled trial: treatment efficacy and day-to-day variation.Parasites & vectors · 2020Trial
- Predisposition to Ascaris lumbricoides reinfection in the Geshiyaro project in southern Ethiopia.Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 2026Article
- Hunting for Helminths: short- and long-read shotgun metagenomics for helminth detection in faecal samples.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Diagnosing helminth infections in a large reference laboratory in the United States: a 6-month pre- and post-implementation analysis of AI-augmented screening of concentrated fecal wet mounts.Journal of clinical microbiology · 2026Article
- Residual Human Intestinal Nematode Infections Following Discontinuation of Mass Drug Administration in a Rural South Asian Setting: Implications for Deworming Surveillance.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Article
- Geospatial risk prediction of hookworm infection and intensity among school-aged children in Dak Lak province, Vietnam.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- The impact of the termination of Lymphatic Filariasis mass drug administration on Soil-transmitted Helminth prevalence in school children in Malawi.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Enrichment of Helminth Mitochondrial Genomes From Faecal Samples Using Hybridisation Capture.Molecular ecology resources · 2025Article
- Performance evaluation of the diaxxoPCR system for rapid and user-friendly stool-based diagnosis of trichuriasis, ascariasis and strongyloidiasis in Mozambique.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Harnessing Molecular Techniques to Inform Species-Specific Hookworm Prevalence and Infection Intensity and Detect Strongyloides in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025Article
- Global diversity of soil-transmitted helminths reveals population-biased genetic variation that impacts diagnostic targets.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Clinical challenges and technological breakthroughs in helminthic therapy for diabetes.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Helminth-induced immune modulation in colorectal cancer: exploring therapeutic applications.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- The occurrence of cross-host species soil-transmitted helminth infections in humans and domestic/livestock animals: A systematic review.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Low prevalence of helminth infection in Ugandan children hospitalized with severe malaria.PloS one · 2025Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe most commonly used diagnostic tool for soil-transmitted helminths (STH) is the Kato-Katz (KK) thick smear technique. However, numerous studies have suggested that the sensitivity of KK can be problematic, especially in low prevalence and low intensity settings. An emerging alternative is quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).
methodsIn this study, both KK and qPCR were conducted on stool samples from 648 participants in an STH epidemiology study conducted in the delta region of Myanmar in June 2016.
resultsPrevalence of any STH was 20.68% by KK and 45.06% by qPCR. Prevalence of each individual STH was also higher by qPCR than KK, the biggest difference was for hookworm with an approximately 4-fold increase between the two diagnostic techniques. Prevalence of Ancylostoma ceylanicum, a parasite predominately found in dogs, was 4.63%, indicating that there is the possibility of zoonotic transmission in the study setting. In individuals with moderate to high intensity infections there is evidence for a linear relationship between eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces, derived from KK, and DNA copy number, derived from qPCR which is particularly strong for Ascaris lumbricoides.
conclusionsThe use of qPCR in low prevalence settings is important to accurately assess the epidemiological situation and plan control strategies for the 'end game'. However, more work is required to accurately assess STH intensity from qPCR results and to reduce the cost of qPCR so that is widely accessible in STH endemic countries.
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