Latex based, rapid and easy assay for human leptospirosis in a single test format.
Leptospirosis is an often severe disease which requires prompt treatment. Laboratory testing is required to reach a valid diagnosis. An agglutination assay for the detection of Leptospira-specific antibodies consisting of individually wrapped agglutination cards containing a stable, dried detection reagent is evaluated. The assay is simply performed by suspending the dried reagent with a drop of serum. The result is obtained within 30 s. The sensitivity of the assay varied with the stage of the disease and was 72.3% for samples collected during the first 10 days of the illness and 88.2% for samples collected at a later stage. The specificity was 93.9% and 89.8%, respectively. These characteristics make the test ideal for use in areas where the disease is common and where laboratory support is not routinely available.
Smits
H L
HL
Department of Biomedical Research, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. H.Smits@kit.nl
Chee
H D
HD
Eapen
C K
CK
Kuriakose
M
M
Sugathan
S
S
Gasem
M H
MH
Yersin
C
C
Sakasi
D
D
Lai-A-Fat
R F
RF
Hartskeerl
R A
RA
Liesdek
B
B
Abdoel
T H
TH
Goris
M G
MG
Gussenhoven
G C
GC
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests / Q000379:methods*; D007919:Leptospira / Q000276:immunology*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007075:Immunoglobulin M