Performance of the Vetscan Imagyst in point-of-care detection ofin canine fecal samples.

Abstract

is a common parasite of the gastrointestinal tract of dogs, with an especially high prevalence in dogs <1-y-old. Methods for detectingare point-of-care (POC) tests such as lateral-flow tests or fecal flotation. The Vetscan Imagyst (Zoetis) is a new POC device for the detection ofin fecal samples using zinc sulfate flotation, automated slide scanning, and image recognition with artificial intelligence. Vetscan results are the number ofcysts per coverslip. We compared the performance of the Vetscan and another POC test (SNAPtest; Idexx) with a direct immunofluorescence assay (IFA) performed in a specialized parasitology laboratory as the reference test. We included 164 dogs <19-mo-old. We used pooled fecal samples from 3 defecations gained within 2-3&#x2009;d and tested the repeatability of the Vetscan by triplicate measurement. Compared to IFA, Vetscan had a diagnostic sensitivity of 88.4% and specificity of 98.1%; SNAP had a diagnostic sensitivity of 74.4% and specificity of 98.1%. A variation coefficient of 67.0% was determined for the Vetscan results. The performance of the Vetscan is acceptable for the qualitative evaluation of fecal samples (positive or negative), and the device can be used by untrained personnel. Given its high variation coefficient, we do not recommend the Vetscan for monitoring the number of cysts.