Comparison of Polycarbonate Filter Paper and Sedimentation Methods in Diagnosing Schistosoma haematobium Infection in Makurdi, Benue, Nigeria

Schistosomiasis affects about 204.6 million people in 78 countries of the world, out of which 58 countries are endemic with moderate to high intensity. Different diagnostic tools (Rapid Diagnostic Test kit) have been used in the diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium infection hence, there is the need to ascertain the most sensitive RDT for proper screening of Schistosoma haematobium. This Study was undertaken to comparatively examine whether there is an association between urine colour observation and intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infection using polycarbonate membrane filtration method and sedimentation methods. A total of 202 (118 males and 84 females).urine samples were examined from some selected primary schools in Makurdi. Of these, 52 (25.74%) tested positive of Schistosoma haematobium using filtration technique. The findings of this research demonstrated that urine colour observation was significantly associated with infection intensity (X2 = 0.721, p<.01). Three (3) Out of 67 urine sample screened having brown colour, 19(32.8%) tested positive for Schistosoma haematobium ova with for light, mild and heavy infection (14, 5 and 3 respectively). The study also revealed a significant association between membrane filtration and sedimentation techniques (r= 0.964). However, the findings of this research revealed that membrane filtration technique is more sensitive RDT than conventional sedimentation technique.