title: Comparison of six human anti-transglutaminase ELISA-tests in the diagnosis of celiac disease in the Saharawi population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Celiac disease (CD) is an enteropathic disorder very prevalent in Saharawi people. Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of six human tissue transglutaminase (tTG) based ELISA tests in Saharawi CD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two CD patients and 23 controls were selected from the Saharawi refugee camps in Tinduf. CD patients were divided into two groups according to their anti-endomysium (EmA) status: 41 EmA positive and 11 EmA negative. Sera from patients and controls were tested for human tTG using six commercial ELISA kits. We used receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and areas under the curve to compare the diagnostic accuracies of the six assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In general, there are differences in the sensitivity and specificity of the human tTG ELISA assays used. Diagnostic accuracy of tests was significantly improved by adjusting the cut-off thresholds according to ROC plot analysis; the correction of the cut-off with the employment of the ROC curve analysis modifies the decision limit in more than 50% in five of the six kits evaluated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some of the human tTG ELISAs used in this study have a diagnostic accuracy similar to EmA determination for diagnosis of CD in Saharawi people. However, it is necessary to select the assay with a higher sensitivity and specificity, and recalculate the cut-off threshold using samples from the referral population.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Service, Hospital de Cabueñes, Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Eloy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Sabino
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riestra
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodrigo
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Vázquez
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: López-Larrea
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000352:Africa, Northern; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D011503:Transglutaminases