Screening for cystic echinococcosis in an endemic region of Peru using portable ultrasonography and the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) assay

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by the larval form of Echinococcus granulosus is a major public health problem in sheep-raising regions of the World. This study compared portable ultrasound with the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) assay as screening methods to estimate the prevalence of human CE in a remote village in the Peruvian Andes. Three hundred eighty-nine villagers were examined by portable ultrasound and blood samples were drawn by venipuncture. Sera were collected and tested for antibodies against CE using an EITB assay. Cystic lesions were classified based on their ultrasound morphologic characteristics. The prevalence of human CE using portable ultrasound and the EITB assay were 4.9% and 2.6%, respectively. Fifty-three percent of subjects with CE were EITB positive. Portable ultrasound was well received by the community, augmented CE detection and allowed a faster estimate of human infection than the EITB assay.