RT Journal Article
T1 Comparison of ELISA and IFAT for Leishmania infantum by European and Middle Eastern diagnostic laboratories
A1 Mahachi, Kurayi G.
A1 Ozanne, Marie
A1 Bourdeau, Patrick
A1 Sarquis, Juliana
A1 Kontowicz, Eric
A1 Solano Gallego, Laia
A1 Cardoso, Luis
A1 Oliva, Gaetano
A1 Baneth, Gad
A1 Pennisi, Maria Grazia
A1 Toepp, Angela M.
A1 Miró Corrales, Guadalupe
A1 Carrel, Margaret
A1 Petersen, Christine A.
AB Background: Visceral leishmaniosis (VL) is the most severe form of human leishmaniosis, with an estimated 95% case fatality if left untreated. Dogs act as peridomestic reservoir hosts for the protozoan parasite Leishmania infantum, a causative agent for human leishmaniosis, endemic throughout the Mediterranean basin. To assure consistent and accurate surveillance of canine infection and prevent transmission to people, consistent diagnosis of canine L. infantum infection across this region is essential for protecting both human and animal health. Our goal was to compare the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and immunofluorescence antibody tests (IFAT), performed at seven academic veterinary diagnostic centres across southern Europe and Israel.Methods: We performed a known sample “ring” trial to compare L. infantum quantitative serological tests. Two hundred seventy-two (n = 272) canine serum samples of known serological status were chosen from these sites, representative of the region. In-house or commercial ELISA and IFAT were performed according to each laboratory’s specifications. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to determine sensitivity and specificity of each test. True and false positives were calculated to determine the probability of identifying samples.Results: Sensitivity and specificity for ELISA ranged from 95 to 99% and 92% to 97%, respectively, with moderate variability from one site. Sensitivity and specificity for IFAT ranged from 89 to 99% and 83% to 94%, respectively, with increased variability compared to ELISA. Overall test agreement was 78% with a pair-wise agreement between 65 and 89%.Conclusions: All sites demonstrated substantial comparative diagnostic accuracy, with good agreement based on known seropositive and seronegative samples. Studies and interventional trials that use these tests will remain valid because of high diagnostic agreement between sites.
PB BioMed Central (BMC)
YR 2024
FD 2024-12-29
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/113940
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/113940
LA eng
NO Mahachi, K.G., Ozanne, M., Bourdeau, P. et al. Comparison of ELISA and IFAT for Leishmania infantum by European and Middle Eastern diagnostic laboratories. Parasites Vectors 17, 545 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06631-9
NO Contributions: KGM wrote the original draft of the manuscript; PB, JS, LSG, LC, GO, GB, MGP, GM, MC and CAP designed the study, performed serological testing and/or selected samples, coordinated the exchange of samples and edited the manuscript; MC and KGM constructed the map; KGM, MO, AMT and EK participated in establishing the statistical code for LCA and organizing and cleaning of data to be readable by statistical software. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
DS Docta Complutense
RD 20 mar 2026