A comparison of FLOTAC and CFF techniques in detecting gastrointestinal parasites in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

The objective of the study was to compare the usefulness of FLOTAC and centrifugal fecal flotation (CFF) techniques. More specifically, the taxonomic classes (Nematoda and Cestoda) of endoparasites present in fecal samples of buffaloes are identified, the sensitivity and specificity of FLOTAC relative to CFF are calculated, and the agreement of both techniques is evaluated using Kappa statistics. Fresh fecal samples from 220 buffaloes in 10 municipalities were collected. Sheather’s sugar was used as a flotation solution for both the FLOTAC and CFF techniques. Of the 220 animals, 109 samples were nematode positive and 111 samples were nematode negative according to the FLOTAC technique, while 74 were found to be positive and 146 negative according to the CFF technique. No cestodes were detected by either technique. The calculated sensitivity for FLOTAC is 89.19% and its specificity is 70.55%. Kappa statistics revealed moderate agreement (k=0.535) between the two techniques in detecting nematodes. The prevalence observed based on FLOTAC and CFF test were 49.54% (109/220; 95% CI: 47.75–56.34) and 33.64% (72/220; 95% CI: 27.42–40.3), respectively.