| Literature DB >> 19070876 |
F Saghrouni1, S Gaïed-Meksi, A Fathallah, F Amri, H Ach, I Guizani, M Ben Saïd.
Abstract
The performance of the rK39 strip test in the diagnosis of Tunisian visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was evaluated and compared with that of immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). A total of 929 sera, including 574 from VL patients, 54 from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients, 42 from patients with other protozoan diseases, 152 from patients with non-parasitic diseases and 107 from healthy controls, were used in the study. The sensitivity and specificity of the rK39 strip test were 87.1 and 94.4%, respectively. Sixteen CL sera showed positive results, suggesting that the rK39 strip test is not restricted to Leishmania donovani complex detection. IFAT was comparatively more sensitive (98.9%) but slightly less specific (90.7%). Despite cross-reactivity shown by CL sera, the rK39 strip test can be recommended for the routine diagnosis of VL in Tunisia, as VL and CL are distinct clinical entities.Entities:
Mesh：
Substances：
Year: 2008 PMID： 19070876 DOI： 10.1016/j.trstmh.2008.10.034
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg ISSN： 0035-9203 Impact factor: 2.184