Diagnosis of Strongyloides Stercoralis Infection. Meta-analysis on Evaluation of Conventional Parasitological Methods (1980-2013)

Background: Research on diagnostic methods have strongyloidiasis I validity and incomplete by not reporting data on safety, efficiency and performance diagnosis. Objective: To assess validity, performance, efficiency and safety of four diagnostic conventional parasitological methods :for detection of Strongyloides Mint:stercoralis infection in the period 1980-2013. Methods: Systematic review with meta-analysis, exhaustive reproducible literature search of six databases. Quality of the articles was assessed and rneta-analysis was performed under the random effects model, calculating sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, predictive values, proportion of false results, accuracy, odds ratio and Youden index I and ROC curve using Meta-DiSc(es) and Epidat. Results: 11 studies with 9,025 individuals were included. Sensitivity of the Baermann :method was 721180, positive likelihood ratio (Litz-) 228 and negative likelihood ratio (LR-) 0.32. The agar plate culture (APES had a sensitivity of 898k, It 1 341 and LR- OA 1. Stool sensitivity was 21%, Ill I 67 and LR- 0.67. Sensitivity of the formol-ether concentration was 48%, LR+ 110 and LR- 0.59. Areas under the ROC curve were 0.999 in Baermann and APC, 0.977 in the stool and 0.829 in formalin-ether concentration; specificity was 100% in all tests. Conclusion: The four conventional parasitological methods tested in this study to detect S. stercoralis can be helpful; however, agar plate culture and Baermann method are best suited.