@article{102405,
  keywords = {Serological diagnosis, Diagnostic Accuracy, Endemic regions, Soluble egg antigen (SEA), Worm antigen protein (WAP)},
  author = {Oriade TO and Sulaiman KA and Auta T and Afolayan FID and Odaibo AB and Grenfell RFQ and Fatem RG and Oyeyemi OT},
  title = {Urine-based ELISA for non-invasive diagnosis of urogenital schistosomiasis: a promising tool for resource-limited regions},
  abstract = {<p>Traditional serological diagnosis can be invasive and uncomfortable, potentially discouraging patients, especially women and children, from seeking diagnosis and treatment. In resource-limited, endemic regions, non-invasive diagnostic approaches are highly desirable. This study investigated the potential of urine-based ELISA using&nbsp;<em>Schistosoma haematobium</em>&nbsp;soluble egg–based (<em>Sh-</em>SEA) and worm antigen protein (<em>Sh-</em>WAP) for diagnosing urogenital schistosomiasis. Urine samples were disaggregated into three groups; 50 laboratory-confirmed&nbsp;<em>S. haematobium</em>–positive individuals, 50&nbsp;<em>S. haematobium</em>–negative individuals from the endemic area (NE), and 50 non-infected samples from a non-endemic area (NNE) were used for the ELISA immunoassay. Diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, sensitivity (SS), and specificity (SP). The&nbsp;<em>Sh-</em>SEA ELISA with urine demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy compared to&nbsp;<em>Sh-</em>WAP in both endemic (AUC = 0.89, SS = 92%, SP = 74%) and non-endemic areas (AUC = 0.77, SS = 80%, SP = 46%). Notably, both&nbsp;<em>Sh-</em>SEA and&nbsp;<em>Sh-</em>WAP antibody titers were significantly higher in infected individuals compared to the non-infected samples in both endemic and non-endemic areas (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001). This study’s findings suggest that urine-based ELISA using&nbsp;<em>Sh-</em>SEA and&nbsp;<em>Sh-</em>WAP antigens exhibits promising potential as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for urogenital schistosomiasis, particularly in resource-limited settings.</p>
},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {Folia Microbiologica},
  publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC},
  issn = {0015-5632, 1874-9356},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12223-025-01278-0},
  doi = {10.1007/s12223-025-01278-0},
  language = {eng},
}