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. 2021 Jan-Mar;16(1):72-80.
doi: 10.18502/ijpa.v16i1.5514.

Agar Plate Culture: An Alternative Sensitive Routine Laboratory Detection Method for Strongyloides stercoralis and Hookworm Parasites

Tadesse Hailu  1 , Endalkachew Nibret  2 , Arancha Amor  3 , Abaineh Munshea  2 , Melaku Anegagrie  3
Affiliations

Agar Plate Culture: An Alternative Sensitive Routine Laboratory Detection Method for Strongyloides stercoralis and Hookworm Parasites

Tadesse Hailu et al. Iran J Parasitol. 2021 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Background: Human infection with Strongyloides stercoralis and hookworm parasites is usually under reported due to less sensitive diagnostic methods. Agar plate culture (APC) is the most sensitive technique for parasites having larval stage. However, using APC in routine diagnosis is uncommon. This study aimed to determine the detection rate and sensitivity of APC in comparison with formal ether concentration technique (FECT) and spontaneous tube sedimentation techniques (STSTs) for S. stercoralis and hookworm larvae.

Methods: Stool samples collected from 844 schoolchildren in Amhara Regional State, northwestern Ethiopia in 2019, transported to nearby health institutions and processed by APC, FECT and STSTs. The prevalence of S. stercoralis and hookworm was computed by descriptive statistics and Chi-square. The diagnostic agreement among the three techniques was evaluated using Kappa value.

Results: The overall prevalence of S. stercoralis and hookworm infections by combining the three methods was 13.2% (111/844) and 33.8% (277/844), respectively. Using APC alone, the prevalence of S. stercoralis and hookworm were found to be 10.9% (92/844) and 24.5% (207/844), respectively. Agar plate culture was 5.4 and 2.7 times respectively more sensitive than FECT and STST, with slight and fair agreement in the detection of S. stercoralis. Hookworm diagnostic agreement was moderate between APC and FECT, and APC and STST. The Kappa value between STST and FECT diagnostic methods was substantial.

Conclusion: APC has a better detection rate of S stercoralis and hookworm larvae. Therefore, APC can be used as an alternative routine diagnostic method to S. stercoralis and hookworm co-endemic countries.

Keywords: Agar plate culture; Detection rate; Hookworm; Strongyloides stercoralis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest Authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1:
Fig. 1:
The growth and crawling of S. stercoralis and hookworm on agar plate culture media; A= furrow left by S. stercoralis larvae, B= Furrow left by hookworm larvae
Fig. 2:
Fig. 2:
The difference between S. stercoralis and hookworm larva
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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