Comparison of point-of-care test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of IgG antibodies in the diagnosis of human schistosomiasis japonica

Abstract Objective Schistosomiasis japonica is an important helminthic disease in Asia. Sensitive and accurate diagnostic tools are indispensable in both for clinical diagnosis, screening infection and monitoring its control. In this study, we developed an immunochromatographic test (Sj-ICT) to detect anti-Schistosoma japonicum IgG antibodies in human sera. Methods Somatic extract from adult S. japonicum was used as an antigen. The Sj-ICT was developed and optimized as a point-of-care testing. All 214 human serum samples were subjected for evaluation its diagnostic usefulness and comparison with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of the Sj-ICT were 90.8%, 87.9%, 86.4%, 91.9%, and 89.3%, respectively, whereas those of the ELISA were 91.8%, 87.9%, 86.5%, 92.7%, and 89.7%, respectively. The concordance between both methods was 86.4 % (κ-value = 0.729). Conclusions The developed kit can be used not only for supporting clinical diagnosis, but also for large-scale surveys in endemic areas without requiring additional facilities or ancillary supplies.