Diagnostic study demonstrates 94.33% accuracy of urine PCR for detecting Schistosoma mansoni in an endemic village population, suggesting effective diagnosis in low-transmission settings.
Key Points
Evaluate the diagnostic performance and practical applicability of a urine-based PCR assay for detecting Schistosoma mansoni DNA in an endemic population compared to standard parasitological techniques.
Developed a low-cost DNA extraction protocol paired with conventional PCR to isolate and amplify S. mansoni DNA from human urine samples.
Assessed diagnostic accuracy in an endemic village cohort against a composite reference standard of three parasitological methods, alongside early-detection testing in a mouse model.
The urine PCR assay achieved 100% sensitivity, 91.20% specificity, an 86.25% positive predictive value, a 100% negative predictive value, and an overall accuracy of 94.33% (kappa index = 0.8806).
Experimental mouse model evaluations demonstrated reliable detection of circulating parasite DNA as early as one week following cercariae penetration.