Detection of Risk Groups for Carcinogenic Liver Fluke Infection by Verbal Screening Questionnaire Using a Mobile...

The carcinogenic liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, is a serious health problem in Southeast Asia where infection is associated with cholangiocarcinoma, a major cause of death in Thailand. This cross-sectional study aimed to screen for O. viverrini infection among a Thai rural population of 560 individuals from Nakhon Ratchasima, Khonkaen, and Chaiyaphum provinces with a verbal screening test with a mobile application (OvApp). Faecal samples were also processed with a mini-parasep sf parasite faecal concentrator. The infection rate of O. viverrini was found to be 2.86%. The majority of infections were detected in males aged 41–50, with primary school being their highest education level, and who were engaged in agricultural occupations. In screening for O. viverrini infection, the OvApp had a high sensitivity (87.5%), specificity (94.6%), negative predictive value (98.9%), and accuracy (98.6%). The positive predictive value was 70.0% for the OvApp. The observed agreement was substantial for this application (k-value = 0.64) indicated that it is a potentially useful tool for decreasing the cost of large-scale O. viverrini screening.