Comparison of mansonellosis diagnostic tests in a prevalency study in communities situated along the River Atabapo in the Guanía Department, Colombia, 1996

Abstract

In the Guanía Depafiment of Colombia a cross-sectional prevalence questionnaire was carried out in six communities along the River Atabapo, where a predetermined sample population of 181 people older than 10 years of age were examined, taking 37 previously selected dwellings as the cone analysis unit. All the inhabitants in the sample gave blood samples which were subjected to examination by rneans of four techniques (fresh blood sample, thick smear, Knott test and cm3 count), they had a medical examination, asanitation study was made and a questionnaire was carried out in each dwelling. A 57% prevalence was encountered in the sample population, thus one can say that it is the zone prevalence. Of the three diagnostic tests used in addition to the Knott test, cm3 count gave the study's best results, giving a sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value similar to or better than the gold standard (the Knoit test) which was taken as the point of reference.