Independent evaluation of the Nigrosin‐Eosin modification of the Kato‐Katz technique

Summary A new modified quantitative Kato‐Katz thick‐smear technique for the detection of helminth eggs in faeces preserves hookworm eggs unaltered for a long time, while with the classic Kato‐Katz technique, they disappear after ≊ 2 h in tropical climates and thus slides must be read within hours after sample collection. For an independent comparison of these two laboratory techniques, faecal smears from 263 school children were examined in two surveys and prevalence, intensity of infection and costs of surveys calculated. There was no statistical difference between the methods in detecting prevalence and stratification of the sample in different classes of intensity. While there was no statistical difference for the arithmetic mean of the epg for T. trichiura and only a small difference for A. lumbricoides (P= 0.04), we observed a highly significant difference for hookworm mean intensities of infections (P < 0.001). From the public health viewpoint both methods provided similar results, but due to its simplicity and widespread use the classical Kato‐Katz technique remains first choice for community investigation of soil‐transmitted nematodes. However, the Nigrosin‐Eosin approach has several advantages and can be a valuable alternative in certain circumstances.