01916nas a2200289   4500000000100000008004100001260003400042653002700076653002400103100001400127700001400141700001400155700001200169700001600181700001400197700001500211700001500226700001500241700001300256700001300269700001500282700001600297700001400313245011200327520116200439022002501601       2019                            d  bOxford University Press (OUP)10aImmunology and Allergy10aInfectious Diseases1 aCoffeng L1 aMalizia V1 aVegvari C1 aCools P1 aHalliday KE1 aLevecke B1 aMekonnen Z1 aGichuki PM1 aSayasone S1 aSarkar R1 aShaali A1 aVlaminck J1 aAnderson RM1 ade Vlas S00aImpact of Different Sampling Schemes for Decision Making in Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis Control Programs3 a<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>
               <jats:p>Starting and stopping preventive chemotherapy (PC) for soil-transmitted helminthiasis is typically based on the prevalence of infection as measured by Kato-Katz (KK) fecal smears. Kato-Katz-based egg counts can vary highly over repeated stool samples and smears. Consequentially, the sensitivity of KK-based surveys depends on the number of stool samples per person and the number of smears per sample. Given finite resources, collecting multiple samples and/or smears means screening fewer individuals, thereby lowering the statistical precision of prevalence estimates. Using population-level data from various epidemiological settings, we assessed the performance of different sampling schemes executed within the confines of the same budget. We recommend the use of single-slide KK for determining prevalence of moderate-to-heavy intensity infection and policy decisions for starting and continuing PC; more sensitive sampling schemes may be required for policy decisions involving stopping PC. Our findings highlight that guidelines should include specific guidance on sampling schemes.</jats:p>  a0022-1899, 1537-6613