Authors

S Kim¹; L Kelly-Hope¹; J Verweij²; R Stothard¹;  ¹ Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine;  ² Tilburg Hospital

Discussion

As a part of the lymphatic filariasis (LF) transmission assessment survey (TAS) in Western Division of Fiji, a pilot screen for strongyloidiasis and other soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) in school children was undertaken using a combination of the Baermann concentration (BC) method and real-time PCR assays. Using BC, faecal samples collected from 111 children from 7 schools were examined. A single child was positive for larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis (SS) and underwent a clinical examination finding an asymptomatic infection. Other members of this child's household were screened with BC finding none infected. Aliquots of 173 faecal samples preserved in ethanol from children originating from 30 schools were examined by real-time PCR. The prevalence of SS was 3.5% and other STHs were Ascaris lumbricoides (5.8%), Necator americanus (4.6%) Ancylostoma duodenale (5.8%) and Trichuris trichiura (0.0%). Our study confirms the existence of SS infection in Fiji highlighting the low evels of STH and absence of trichuriasis. Obtaining faecal samples alongside TAS is a convenient, cost-sharing access platform, allowing introduction of other surveillance tehcniques techniques for STH such as real-time PCR