The accuracy of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) in detecting human intestinal nematode infections: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

The objective of this review is to determine the accuracy of NAATs in detecting human intestinal nematode infections using Kato-Katz as the reference test for the most common soil-transmitted helminth (STH) in fections and the scotch tape test for enterobiasis and Baermann method for strongyloidiasis. Relevant studies will be identified by searches in electronic databases. Two reviewers will independently screen the literature against eligibility criteria. The methodological quality of studies will then b e appraised by two reviewers using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Discrepancies will be addressed by a third reviewer. The true positives, false positives, true negatives and false negatives of all the studies will be extracted into contingency tables. In pair ed forest plots, study-specific sensitivity and specificity with a 95 per cent confidence interval will be displayed. The systematic review of this protocol will report the diagnostic accuracy of currently available NAATs for the detection of human intestinal nematode infections. This will help heal thcare providers and administrators determine the diagnostic method to be used in different clinical and preventive settings. Trial registration: PROSPERO registration number for this protocol is CRD42022315730.
Source: PLoS One - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research