Comparative Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis by Standard and Molecular Methods in Turan District of Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to compare the diagnosis of schistosomiasis by standard and molecular methods in the Turan District of Kwande LGA. A total of 682 samples were collected, 482 urine and 200 stool samples. The urine samples were filtered on Whatman filter No.3 paper for DNA extraction and amplification. The urine samples were also examined microscopically using centrifugation and the Kato-Katz method. Forty (40) samples of the filtered urine were randomly picked irrespective of being positive or negative by microscopy and amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were applied to determine the association of infection in relation to location and water contact activity. The Kappa coefficient was also applied to assess the degree of concordance between the diagnostic techniques. From the 482 urine samples analyzed, 111(23.0%) were infected with S. haematobium; and out of the 200 stool samples examined, 3(1.5%) were infected with S. mansoni. In comparison PCR established a prevalence of 12 (30.0%) for S. haematobium and 6 (15%) for S. mansoni. PCR also detected 3 (7.5%) co-infections with S. mansoni and S. haematobium. Concordance between centrifugation and PCR revealed an almost perfect agreement (κ = 0.81) while Kato-Katz and PCR showed a substantial agreement (κ = 0.63). Prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis by location revealed the highest infection rate of 32 (29.4%) in Yaav, followed by Kumakwagh with prevalence of 31(24.8%) and lowest infection rate of 27 (20.4%) was observed in Mbadura. However, no significant difference was observed in the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis between the different communities (χ² = 4.68, p = 0.20). The study revealed that detection of Schistosoma parasite-specific DNA in urine by PCR is an effective tool for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis than processing urine and stool by standard methods