Journal Article

Comparing the performance of OvaCyte and traditional techniques in detecting canine gastrointestinal parasites

McAloon, Conor G., Elghryani, Nagwa, McOwan, Trish, de Waal, Theo, Lahan, Geetika

2025

Overview

Background Companion animals are infected with a range of helminth and protozoan parasites which can have a significant effect on health and welfare. While several diagnostic techniques are available to detect parasitic infection, they all vary in sensitivity and specificity. This study aims to estimate the diagnostic performance of the OvaCyte™ Pet Analyser by comparing it with established benchmarks commonly used in reference laboratories. Methods A total of 141 canine faecal samples, containing at least one species of parasite after screening using double centrifugation, were tested using four index tests: centrifugal flotation (faeces weighing either 1 g or 2 g), passive flotation, and the OvaCyte™ technique. The true status of each sample was determined on the basis of the initial screening test and the aggregated result of the four index tests. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for each of the four index tests. Results The OvaCyte™ Pet Analyser displayed high sensitivity ranging from 90% to 100% in detecting various parasite species in canines. Its sensitivity for roundworm and hookworm detection differed significantly from centrifugal flotation using 1 g and passive flotation techniques ( P  < 0.05). The OvaCyte™ demonstrated higher sensitivity in detecting Cystoisospora spp. (90%) and Capillaria spp. (100%) compared to all flotation methods ( P  < 0.001), though it showed slightly lower specificity than the other techniques. Conclusions These results highlight the variability in sensitivity across different diagnostic methods, underscoring the importance of selecting the most reliable technique for accurate parasite detection in veterinary practice. However, the OvaCyte™ Pet Analyser exhibits an elevated level of sensitivity compared to other techniques. Graphical Abstract

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Anemia / Animals / Artificial intelligence / Automation / Benchmarks / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Canine / Canine gastrointestinal parasites / Capillaria / Centrifugation / Centrifuging / Comparative analysis / Diagnosis / Diagnostic techniques / Diarrhea / Disease prevention / Diseases / Dog Diseases - diagnosis / Dog Diseases - parasitology / Dogs / Eggs / Entomology / Feces / Feces - parasitology / Flotation / Gastrointestinal diseases / Gastrointestinal parasites / gastrointestinal system / hookworms / Infection / Infections / Infectious Diseases / Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - diagnosis / Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - parasitology / Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic - veterinary / Intestinal parasites / Ireland / Medical screening / Methods / Molecular diagnostic techniques / Nematodes / OvaCyte / OvaCyte Telenostic / Parasites / Parasites - isolation & purification / Parasitic diseases / Parasitology / parasitoses / Positron emission / Protozoa / Screening / Sensitivity analysis / Sensitivity and Specificity / species / Tropical Medicine / veterinary clinics / Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science / Virology / Zoonoses