Abstract:
We evaluated two novel, portable microscopes and locally acquired, single-ply, paper towels as filter paper
for the diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium infection. The mobile phone-mounted Foldscope and reversed-lens
CellScope had sensitivities of 55.9% and 67.6%, and specificities of 93.3% and 100.0%, respectively, compared with
conventional light microscopy for diagnosing S. haematobium infection. With conventional light microscopy, urine
filtration using single-ply paper towels as filter paper showed a sensitivity of 67.6% and specificity of 80.0% compared
with centrifugation for the diagnosis of S. haematobium infection. With future improvements to diagnostic sensitivity,
newer generation handheld and mobile phone microscopes may be valuable tools for global health applications.
