Comparative Analysis of Automatic Fecal Analyzer versus Direct Wet Smear Microscopy for Detecting Parasitic Infections in Stool Samples

Summary

Parasitic infections pose a significant public health challenge, especially in developing countries and regions. This study compares an Automatic Fecal Analyzer to assess its diagnostic efficacy with that of the traditional Direct Wet Smear Microscopy method.

Abstract

With socio-economic development, the prevalence of intestinal parasitic diseases has significantly decreased year by year. However, parasitic infections remain a major public health issue globally, particularly in developing countries and regions. Timely diagnosis and treatment are crucial for controlling the spread of these diseases. The traditional Direct Wet Smear Microscopy method, while widely used, is labor-intensive, prone to contamination, and dependent on the skills of the technician. This paper introduces an Automatic Fecal Analyzer, which automates the stool sample processing, offering advantages over the traditional Direct Wet Smear Microscopy method, such as ease of operation, rapid detection, a clean and hygienic working environment, and high sensitivity and specificity, thus enhancing diagnostic efficiency and accuracy.

We compared three different methods for fecal analysis: direct wet smear microscopy method, automatic fecal analyzer (AI report), and automatic fecal analyzer (user audit). The AI report uses automated image analysis and machine learning algorithms to identify components like parasites and eggs in fecal samples. This method can process a large number of samples quickly, increasing efficiency. The User Audit also uses an automatic fecal analyzer but includes an additional step of user audit. Experienced technicians review the AI report to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the results.The analyzer demonstrated a sensitivity of 84.31% for AI report and 94.12% for user audits, along with a specificity of 98.71% for AI reports and 99.69% for user audits, making it an invaluable tool for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of parasitic infections.

Introduction

Globally, intestinal parasitic diseases persist as a substantial public health issue, predominantly in developing nations. Historical data from the Health and Welfare Commission of the People's Republic of China reveal a marked decline in infection rates from 62.63% in 1992 to 5.96% in 2015^1,2,3. Despite its dramatic decline¹, with a weighted national prevalence of 0.47% and an estimated 5.98 million infected individuals³, the prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infection in the Guangdong population remains notably high a....

Protocol

This study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China (Approval number: KY2024-445-02). All participants signed a written informed consent before enrollment. The reagents and equipment used for the study are listed in the Table of Materials.

1. Specimen collection

1. Utilize the Automatic Fecal Analyzer Manufacturer's Specimen Collection Tubes, ensuring they are capped, sealable, clean, dry, non-leaking, and have an appropriate opening and volume for multi-point sampling.
2. Select as much fresh abnorm....

Results

Comparison of detection times between the three detection methods
The average detection time was 1.55 min per person per sample for the Direct Wet Smear Microscopy method, 1.30 min per person per sample for the Automatic Fecal Analyzer (AI report), and 1.47 min per person per sample for the Automatic Fecal Analyzer (user audit). The Direct Wet Smear Microscopy method required 1.1x the duration compared to the Automatic Fecal Analyzer (AI report) (t = 2.442, P = 0.020). Conversely, t.......

Discussion

Parasitic diseases represent a significant global public health concern¹², particularly in developing countries where they lead to health issues such as malnutrition, stunting, anemia, and biliary obstruction¹³, and are also linked to inadequate socio-economic development and education. Fecal testing for parasites has become a routine part of clinical practice, with accuracy, speed, and efficiency being key requirements for such tests.

Parasite d.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Automatic Fecal Analyzer (FA280S) software	ORIENTER	v.1.028(RecoV2.9.14)	The software of the Automatic Fecal Analyzer (FA280S) system
Concentrated Cleaning Fluid	ORIENTER		Suitable for pipeline cleaning
Cover GLASS	SAIL BRAND		Protect the specimen from damage and contamination.
Disposable plastic straw	Nantong Lingke Biotechnology		Disposable plastic straw used for aspirating physiological saline
FA280S	ORIENTER	A022201035	Fully automatic feces analyzer
Flushing Fluid	ORIENTER	Q/WWT-019-2021	Flushing pipeline of fully automatic feces analyzer produced
Microscope	OLYMPUS	3H51278	Observation of cells
Microscope slides		WS-7101	They provide a stable, flat surface to mount specimens for examination under a microscope.
Sample Diluent	ORIENTER	Sichuan Rong Machinery 20150025	Suitable for dilution of stool samples
Sample rack	ORIENTER		Loading racks
Sample tube	ORIENTER	Sichuan Rong Machinery 20200204	Faecal Collector
Sodium Chloeide Injection	Guangdong Daxiang Pharmaceutical Co.	H14020786	Dilution
SPSS statistical software	IBM	SPSS Statistics 22.0	Suitable for a variety of research and analytical tasks
Wooden stick			A disposable wooden stick used to pick an appropriate amount of fecal sample.