Automated Diagnosis of Canine Gastrointestinal Parasites Using Image Analysis

Author(s):Show less -

Inacio, Sandra Valeria ^[1] ; Gomes, Jancarlo Ferreira ^{[2, 3]} ; Falcao, Alexandre Xavier ^[3] ; Nagase Suzuki, Celso Tetsuo ^[3] ; Nagata, Walter Bertequini ^[1] ; Nery Loiola, Saulo Hudson ^{[2, 3]} ; dos Santos, Bianca Martins ^{[2, 3]} ; Soares, Felipe Augusto ^{[2, 3]} ; Rosa, Stefani Laryssa ^{[2, 3]} ; Baptista, Carolina Beatriz ^[1] ; Alves, Graziella Borges ^[1] ; Saraiva Bresciani, Katia Denise ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Sao Paulo State Univ, Sch Vet Med, BR-16050680 Aracatuba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Campinas, Sch Med Sci, BR-13083887 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Comp, Lab Image Data Sci, BR-13083852 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PATHOGENS; v. 9, n. 2 FEB 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Because canine intestinal parasites are considered cosmopolitan, they carry significant zoonotic potential to public health. These etiological agents are routinely diagnosed using microscopic examination commonly used because of its low cost, simple execution, and direct evidence. However, there are reports in the literature on the poor performance of this test due to low to moderate sensitivity resulting from frequent errors, procedures and interpretation. Therefore, to improve the diagnostic efficiency of microscopic examination in veterinary medicine, we developed and evaluated a unique new protocol. This system was tested in a study involving four genera of highly prevalent canine intestinal parasites in an endemic region in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Fecal samples from 104 animals were collected for this research. The new protocol had a significantly higher (p < 0.0001) number of positive cases on image data, including parasites and impurities, and was elaborate to test them with the TF-GII/Dog technique, with a moderate agreement and Kappa index of 0.7636. We concluded that the new Prototic Coproparasitological Test for Dogs (PC-Test Dog) allowed a better visualization of the parasitic structures and showed a favorable result for the diagnosis of intestinal parasites in dogs. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/12236-1 - AnImaLS: Annotation of Images in Large Scale: what can machines and specialists learn from interaction?
• Grantee: Alexandre Xavier Falcão
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/14189-9 - Automated diagnosis of gastrointestinal parasite images of dogs and cats
• Grantee: Sandra Valéria Inácio
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral