Perbandingan Hasil Kuantitatif Telur Cacing Soil-Transmitted Helminths Metode Flotasi Dengan Kato Katz

Abstract

Soil-Transmitted Helminths infections remain a health concern requiring laboratory examination to identify helminth eggs. The Kato-Katz and flotation methods use different principles that may affect the number of eggs detected. This study aimed to compare the number of Soil-Transmitted Helminths eggs directly identified through microscopic examination using both methods. This quantitative experimental study was conducted at the Parasitology Laboratory of the Academy of Health Analyst, Pekalongan, on January 26, 2026. The sample consisted of fresh feces mixed with a fecal suspension previously identified as containing Soil-Transmitted Helminths eggs. The same sample was divided for examination using the Kato-Katz method, with an incubation time of 30 minutes, and flotation using 45% magnesium sulfate (MgSO₄) solution, with an incubation time of 45 minutes. Three slides were prepared for each method as replicates. Direct microscopic examination was performed, and the results were expressed as the number of eggs detected. The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. The Kato-Katz method detected six eggs, whereas flotation detected nine. The identified eggs included hookworm, fertilized and unfertilized Ascaris lumbricoides, and Trichuris trichiura. The Wilcoxon test yielded a p-value of 0.317 (p > 0.05), indicating no statistically significant difference between the methods. Flotation using 45% MgSO₄ may be considered an alternative according to laboratory needs, although the use of a single sample limits the generalizability of the findings.

Keywords: Soil-Transmitted Helminths, Kato-Katz, flotation, 45% MgSO₄, egg count.