Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40354436›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2025

The impact and cost of a new rapid diagnostic test for school-based prevalence mapping and monitoring and evaluation surveys of schistosomiasis: A modelling study.

Joshua M Chevalier, Kyra H Grantz, Sarah Girdwood, Stella Kepha, Thierry Ramos, Brooke E Nichols, Shaukat Khan, Sarah Hingel

Abstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Joshua M ChevalierDepartment of Global Health, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8873-6669
Kyra H GrantzDepartment of Global Health, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Sarah GirdwoodFIND, Geneva, Switzerland.
Stella KephaEastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya.
Thierry RamosFIND, Geneva, Switzerland.
Brooke E NicholsDepartment of Global Health, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Shaukat KhanFIND, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-7247-4190
Sarah HingelFIND, Geneva, Switzerland.

Funding

Ares Trading S.A., a division of Merck
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn endemic communities where the prevalence of Schistosomiasis is ≥ 10%, annual preventive chemotherapy is recommended. Traditional sampling methods determine infection prevalence through district-level surveys in school-aged-children (SAC). Recently, an alternative sampling strategy-the Schistosomiasis Practical and Precision Assessment (SPPA) protocol-was developed to aid in targeting treatment to the sub-district level. A prototype circulating anodic antigen rapid diagnostic test (CAA RDT) could avoid the pitfalls associated with current microscopy techniques and therefore be better suited to support precision-mapping. METHODOLOGY: We modelled the ability of a CAA RDT to correctly classify sub-district prevalence above or below the 10% threshold in simulated districts under alternative sampling strategies. Each district (10 sub-districts/district) had varying mean prevalence and prevalence distributions. Test sensitivity (60-100%) and specificity (95-100%) of the CAA RDT was varied. We then determined the associated survey costs for prevalence mapping or monitoring and evaluation for each sampling strategy using the CAA RDT compared to microscopy.

resultsThe CAA RDT cost/SAC was US$12.14, which was similar to Kato-Katz (US$13.23/SAC) using traditional sampling. Sampling with the CAA RDT cost the least when conducting SPPA sampling or M&E, or when both Kato-Katz and urine filtration were required. High specificity of the CAA RDT was a key determinant of performance and a test with 100% specificity and 85% sensitivity correctly classified the most sub-districts (87%) under SPPA sampling. SPPA sampling generally led to less under- and overtreatment of sub-districts compared to traditional sampling.

conclusionsA CAA RDT with high specificity will lead to similar treatment success at lower costs, under either sampling strategy, as compared to Kato-Katz and urine filtration. The CAA RDT could be a valuable diagnostic tool for determining schistosomiasis prevalence and could better support precision mapping strategies through reduced costs, thereby improving mass drug administration and aiding programmes to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health problem.

Indexed as

Diagnostic Tests, RoutineSchistosomiasisAdolescentAnimalsAntigens, HelminthChildFemaleHumansMalePrevalenceRapid Diagnostic TestsSchoolsSensitivity and SpecificityAntigens, Helminth

Identifiers

PMID40354436
PMCPMC12097705

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.