Validation of a Point-of-Care Circulating Cathodic Antigen Urine Cassette Test for Schistosoma mansoni Diagnosis in the Sahel, and Potential Cross-Reaction in Pregnancy

On the shores of Lake Chad, schistosomiasis among mobile pastoralists was investigated in a field laboratory. Point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) cassette test, reagent strip, and filtration were conducted on urine samples. Fresh stool samples were subjected to the Kato-Katz technique, and fixed samples were examined with an ether concentration method at a reference laboratory. POC-CCA urine cassette tests revealed a Schistosoma mansoni prevalence of 6.9%, compared with only 0.5% by stool microscopy. Three pregnant women with otherwise negative urine and stool testing had positive POC-CCA. This observation raises concern of cross-reactivity in pregnancy. Hence, two pregnant women in Switzerland with no history of schistosomiasis were subjected to POC-CCA and one tested positive. Our data suggest that POC-CCA can be performed under extreme Sahelian conditions (e.g., temperatures >40 degrees C), and it is more sensitive than stool microscopy for S. mansoni diagnosis. However, potential cross-reactivity in pregnancy needs further investigation.