

@article {10976,
	title = {A {Quantitative} {Assessment} {Method} for {Ascaris} {Eggs} on {Hands}},
	journal = {PLOS ONE},
	volume = {9},
	number = {5},
	year = {2014},
	month = {may},
	pages = {e96731},
	abstract = {The importance of hands in the transmission of soil transmitted helminths, especially Ascaris and Trichuris infections, is under-researched. This is partly because of the absence of a reliable method to quantify the number of eggs on hands. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a method to assess the number of Ascaris eggs on hands and determine the egg recovery rate of the method. Under laboratory conditions, hands were seeded with a known number of Ascaris eggs, air dried and washed in a plastic bag retaining the washing water, in order to determine recovery rates of eggs for four different detergents (cationic [benzethonium chloride 0.1\% and cetylpyridinium chloride CPC 0.1\%], anionic [7X 1\% - quadrafos, glycol ether, and dioctyl sulfoccinate sodium salt] and non-ionic [Tween80 0.1\% -polyethylene glycol sorbitan monooleate]) and two egg detection methods (McMaster technique and FLOTAC). A modified concentration McMaster technique showed the highest egg recovery rate from bags. Two of the four diluted detergents (benzethonium chloride 0.1\% and 7X 1\%) also showed a higher egg recovery rate and were then compared with de-ionized water for recovery of helminth eggs from hands. The highest recovery rate (95.6\%) was achieved with a hand rinse performed with 7X 1\%. Washing hands with de-ionized water resulted in an egg recovery rate of 82.7\%. This washing method performed with a low concentration of detergent offers potential for quantitative investigation of contamination of hands with Ascaris eggs and of their role in human infection. Follow-up studies are needed that validate the hand washing method under field conditions, e.g. including people of different age, lower levels of contamination and various levels of hand cleanliness.},
	doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0096731},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096731},
	author = {Jeandron, Aurelie and Ensink, Jeroen H. J. and Thamsborg, Stig M. and Dalsgaard, Anders and Sengupta, Mita E.}
}
