Diagnostic utility of a single Widal test in the diagnosis of typhoid fever at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Nairobi, Kenya.
Typhoid fever is a systemic illness caused by Salmonella enterica serovar typhi (S. typhi) and is endemic in Kenya, where a single Widal test done on an acute phase serum is the most commonly used test. Using a cut-off value of 1:320 for both O and H agglutinins as being diagnostic of S. typhi, only 18 (26%) of our patients had diagnostic titres; 37 (53.6%) had O and H titres less than 1:40. Our study showed that Widal testing done on an acute phase serum of a patient suspected to have typhoid fever had limited diagnostic capability given its low sensitivity.
Division of Microbiology, Pathology Department, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. g_omuse@yahoo.com
Geoffrey
G
Omuse
Ruchika
R
Kohli
Gunturu
G
Revathi
D000328:Adult; D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000379:methods*; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D019081:O Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012485:Salmonella typhi / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; C022863:H antigen; D019081:O Antigens; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic