Smartphone Microscopy of Parasite Eggs Accumulated into a Single Field of View

Sowerby, Stephen J.; Crump, John A.; Johnstone, Maree C.; Krause, Kurt L.; Hill, Philip C.

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.15-0427

Cited by 24 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…A major issue in imaging parasitic eggs is their scattering at different focal depths in a three dimensional (3D) plane. Sowerby et al addressed this issue by mounting a 12-mm double convex objective lens on a smartphone camera to image Ascaris lumbricoides eggs and create composite images using a software program, ImageJ (12). Overall, external lens-mounted smartphone microscopes are portable, inexpensive, and operate without constant electricity needs, which make them a field-deployable tool in parasitic diagnosis in resource-constrained regions of the world.…”

Section: Journal Of Clinical Microbiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the use of this device is limited due to various issues such as specimen orientation, hygiene, manual slide navigation, low sensitivity, and small FOV (see Table 2). Some of these issues have been addressed by applying other lens settings, such as a reversed lens (11) and a double convex lens (12), although these devices require field validation.…”

Section: Conclusion and Future Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Smart Diagnosis” of Parasitic Diseases by Use of Smartphones

Saeed

Jabbar

2018

J Clin Microbiol

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Accurate and rapid diagnosis is crucial in combating parasitic diseases that cause millions of deaths worldwide. However, the scarcity of specialized diagnostic equipment in low- and middle-income countries is one of the barriers to effective management of parasitic diseases and warrants the need for alternative, inexpensive, point-of-care diagnostic tools. Due to their multiple built-in sensors, smartphones offer cost-effective alternative to expensive diagnostic devices. However, the use of smartphones in parasitic diagnoses remains in its infancy. This minireview describes various smartphone-based devices applied specifically for the diagnosis of parasitic diseases and discusses challenges and potential implications for their use in future.

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Section: Journal Of Clinical Microbiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conclusion and Future Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Smart Diagnosis” of Parasitic Diseases by Use of Smartphones

Saeed

Jabbar

2018

J Clin Microbiol

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“…Furthermore, due to their low cost and ubiquity, there is currently intense interest in harnessing the optics and computational power of smartphones to produce affordable and convenient analytical instruments and diagnostic devices for use outside the laboratory (Zhu et al, 2013), including in the area of parasitology (Bogoch et al, 2013(Bogoch et al, , 2016Ephraim et al, 2015;Sowerby et al, 2016), although none have yet been commercialized. We therefore sought to eliminate the need for a laboratory microscope and laborious manual specimen examination by simplifying and automating FECs via coupling fluorescent egg staining to smartphone-based imaging and computational shape recognition ( United States patent application #2015029309).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automated parasite faecal egg counting using fluorescence labelling, smartphone image capture and computational image analysis

Slusarewicz

Pagano

Mills

et al. 2016

International Journal for Parasitology

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Intestinal parasites are a concern in veterinary medicine worldwide and for human health in the developing world. Infections are identified by microscopic visualisation of parasite eggs in faeces, which is time-consuming, requires technical expertise and is impractical for use on-site. For these reasons, recommendations for parasite surveillance are not widely adopted and parasite control is based on administration of rote prophylactic treatments with anthelmintic drugs. This approach is known to promote anthelmintic resistance, so there is a pronounced need for a convenient egg counting assay to promote good clinical practice. Using a fluorescent chitin-binding protein, we show that this structural carbohydrate is present and accessible in shells of ova of strongyle, ascarid, trichurid and coccidian parasites. Furthermore, we show that a cellular smartphone can be used as an inexpensive device to image fluorescent eggs and, by harnessing the computational power of the phone, to perform image analysis to count the eggs. Strongyle egg counts generated by the smartphone system had a significant linear correlation with manual McMaster counts (R(2)=0.98), but with a significantly lower coefficient of variation (P=0.0177). Furthermore, the system was capable of differentiating equine strongyle and ascarid eggs similar to the McMaster method, but with significantly lower coefficients of variation (P<0.0001). This demonstrates the feasibility of a simple, automated on-site test to detect and/or enumerate parasite eggs in mammalian faeces without the need for a laboratory microscope, and highlights the potential of smartphones as relatively sophisticated, inexpensive and portable medical diagnostic devices.

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“…In this system, single FOV images, of parasite ova accumulated by an innovative fluidic system are acquired at the site of analysis via a purpose built portable, autonomously operated digital photo microscope and transmitted to “experts” via the Microsoft Azure Cloud system (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA). A smartphone version of this technology has been developed 19. MEP Equine Solutions LLC (www.theparasightsystem.com) also offer mobile phone-based FEC microscopy for specific parasite ova.…”

Section: Emerging Sth Monitoring Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rationale for Quality Assurance in Fecal Egg Monitoring of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis

Hoekendijk

Hill

Sowerby

2016

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Substantial investment has been made into the once "neglected" tropical disease, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, and into control programs that operate within a framework of mapping baseline disease distribution, measuring the effectiveness of applied interventions, establishing when to cease drug administration, and for posttreatment evaluations. However, critical to each of these stages is the determination of helminth infection. The limitations of traditional microscope-based fecal egg diagnostics have not provided quality assurance in the monitoring of parasite disease and suboptimal treatment regimes provide for the potential development of parasite resistance to anthelmintic drugs. Improved diagnostic and surveillance tools are required to protect therapeutic effectiveness and to maintain funder confidence. Such tools may be on the horizon with emergent technologies that offer potential for enhanced visualization and quality-assured quantitation of helminth eggs.

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Smartphone Microscopy of Parasite Eggs Accumulated into a Single Field of View

Cited by 24 publications

References 23 publications

“Smart Diagnosis” of Parasitic Diseases by Use of Smartphones

“Smart Diagnosis” of Parasitic Diseases by Use of Smartphones

Automated parasite faecal egg counting using fluorescence labelling, smartphone image capture and computational image analysis

Rationale for Quality Assurance in Fecal Egg Monitoring of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis

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