A simple device for quantitative stool thick-smear technique in Schistosomiasis mansoni
Katz, N.; Chaves, A.; Pellegrino, J.
Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo 14(6): 397-400
1972
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-4665 PMID: 4675644 Document Number: 2
A disposable piece of 1.37 mm-thick cardboard with a hole (6 mm in diameter) in the center was used to have fecal samples in regular amounts for quantitative determination of eggs of Schistosoma mansoni by the Kato's method. Each of 10 different human stool samples were used to prepare 10 slides. The results showed that the mean weight of the feces was 43.7±2.8 mg with a coefficient of variation of 6.4%. Feces from 100 patients with schistosomiasis mansoni were used to prepare 2 slides for each fecal sample: one by the cardboard technique and the other by weighing a sample of 45 mg. The coefficient of correlation between the number of schistosome eggs per gram of feces obtained by the cardboard technique and the conventional weighing procedure was very high (r=0.813; p>0.01). The method described was considered to be quite useful for mass surveys on schistosomiasis, due to its reliability, low cost and easy performance.
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