Comparative assessment of the gelatin particle agglutination test and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of strongyloidiasis.
The performances of the gelatin particle agglutination test (GPAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis with reference to the results of the agar plate culture technique (APCT) were evaluated with samples from 459 individuals from communities in northeast Thailand where strongyloidiasis is endemic. The prevalence of strongyloidiasis in five sample groups determined by GPAT varied between 29.3 and 61.5% (mean, 38.8%). ELISA and APCT, employed concurrently, gave lower prevalence rates of 27.5% (range, 21.6 to 42.1%) and 22.7% (range, 12.7 to 53.8%), respectively. By using APCT as the standard method, the sensitivity of GPAT was generally higher than that of ELISA (81 versus 73%). The specificity of GPAT was slightly lower than that of ELISA (74 versus 86%). The resulting GPAT titers exhibited positive linear relationships with the ELISA values (optical density at 490 nm) (P < 0.05), which suggests that the GPAT titer also reflects the levels of specific antibody comparable to those reflected by the ELISA values. Based on the relative ease and simplicity of use of the technique as well as the acceptable rates of sensitivity and specificity of the test, GPAT is more practical for screening for strongyloidiasis than the conventional ELISA.
Department of Clinical Microscopy, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
J
J
Sithithaworn
P
P
Sithithaworn
T
T
Janrungsopa
K
K
Suvatanadecha
K
K
Ando
M R
MR
Haswell-Elkins
D000362:Agar; D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D003470:Culture Media; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005780:Gelatin; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests; D017171:Strongyloides stercoralis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013322:Strongyloidiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology
D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D003470:Culture Media; D005780:Gelatin; D000362:Agar