title: Immunochromatographic rK39 strip test in the serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in Tunisia.
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.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Hôpital Farhat Hached, Sousse, Tunisia.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saghrouni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaïed-Meksi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fathallah
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amri
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ach
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guizani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben Saïd
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D011934:Reagent Strips / Q000592:standards*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods; D014416:Tunisia; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D011934:Reagent Strips