Assessing Ultrasonography as a Diagnostic Tool for Porcine Cysticercosis

Flecker, Robert H.; García Lescano, Héctor Hugo; O'Neal, Seth E.; Benavides, Victor; Ayvar, Viterbo; Pray, Ian W.; Muro Ecca, Claudio Alberto; Gamboa Morán, Ricardo; Moyano, Luz Maria; Santivanez, Saul J.

dc.contributor.author	Flecker, Robert H.
dc.contributor.author	Pray, Ian W.
dc.contributor.author	Santivanez, Saul J.
dc.contributor.author	Ayvar, Viterbo
dc.contributor.author	Gamboa Morán, Ricardo
dc.contributor.author	Muro Ecca, Claudio Alberto
dc.contributor.author	Moyano, Luz Maria
dc.contributor.author	Benavides, Victor
dc.contributor.author	García Lescano, Héctor Hugo
dc.contributor.author	O'Neal, Seth E.
dc.date.accessioned	2019-01-25T15:02:18Z
dc.date.available	2019-01-25T15:02:18Z
dc.date.issued	2017
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12866/4605
dc.description.abstract	BACKGROUND: Taenia solium inflicts substantial neurologic disease and economic losses on rural communities in many developing nations. "Ring-strategy" is a control intervention that targets treatment of humans and pigs among clusters of households (rings) that surround pigs heavily infected with cysticerci. These pigs are typically identified by examining the animal's tongue for cysts. However, as prevalence decreases in intervened communities, more sensitive methods may be needed to identify these animals and to maintain control pressure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ultrasonography as an alternative method to detect pigs heavily infected with T. solium cysts. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We purchased 152 pigs representing all seropositive animals villagers were willing to sell from eight communities (pop. 2085) in Piura, Peru, where T. solium is endemic. Tongue and ultrasound examinations of the fore and hind-limbs were performed in these animals, followed by necropsy with fine dissection as gold standard to determine cyst burden. We compared the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography with tongue examination for their ability to detect heavy infection (>/= 100 viable cysts) in pigs. Compared to tongue examination, ultrasonography was more sensitive (100% vs. 91%) but less specific (90% vs. 98%), although these differences were not statistically significant. The greater sensitivity of ultrasound resulted in detection of one additional heavily infected pig compared to tongue examination (11/11 vs. 10/11), but resulted in more false positives (14/141 vs. 3/141) due to poor specificity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Ultrasonography was highly sensitive in detecting heavily infected pigs and may identify more rings for screening or treatment compared to tongue examination. However, the high false positive rate using ultrasound would result in substantial unnecessary treatment. If specificity can be improved with greater operator experience, ultrasonography may benefit ring interventions where control efforts have stalled due to inadequate sensitivity of tongue examination.	en_US
dc.language.iso	eng
dc.publisher	Public Library of Science
dc.relation.ispartofseries	PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es
dc.subject	Animals	en_US
dc.subject	Swine	en_US
dc.subject	Cysticercosis/diagnosis/diagnostic imaging/parasitology/veterinary	en_US
dc.subject	Swine Diseases/diagnosis/diagnostic imaging/parasitology	en_US
dc.subject	Taenia solium/physiology	en_US
dc.subject	Ultrasonography/methods/veterinary	en_US
dc.title	Assessing Ultrasonography as a Diagnostic Tool for Porcine Cysticercosis	en_US
dc.type	info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005282
dc.subject.ocde	https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#3.03.06
dc.relation.issn	1935-2735