ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVENESS OF LABORATORY DIAGNOSTIC METHODS OF INTESTINAL HELMINTHIASIS BY THE EXAMPLE OF ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES

The optimization of laboratory diagnostic methods is one of the important trend in the diagnostics of gastrointestinal parasitic diseases. Direct biological material research methods aimed at detection of helminth eggs and larvae, trophozoites and protozoan cysts remain the "gold standard" for diagnosing intestinal helminthiasis and protozoosis. Detection of pathogens in biological media does not require additional research methods. Currently, various parasitological diagnostic methods are presented in regulatory and methodological documents but the choice of a research method is often determined by capabilities of a medical organization. The purpose of this research was a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of existing methods for detecting helminth eggs. In an experiment, we carried out 1500 examinations of biological material using 5 parasitological methods most commonly used in clinical practice for examining feces, namely, formalin-ether sedimentation, native and stained smear, Kato, Kalantaryan, and sedimentation in the concentrator of intestinal parasites. Ascaris lumbricoides eggs served as a model for the experiment. Each method was applied in 30 repetitions. The results of the study showed that the formalin-ether sedimentation method was the most effective for detecting Ascaris eggs. This method can serve as a reference for evaluating the effectiveness of various modifications of parasitological methods for diagnosing intestinal helminthiasis.