Abstract

PERUHYPE-MAGALHAES, Vanessa; MACHADO-DE-ASSIS, Tália Santana  and  RABELLO, Ana. Use of the Kala-Azar Detect^® and IT-LEISH^® rapid tests for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz [online]. 2012, vol.107, n.7, pp. 951-952. ISSN 0074-0276.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0074-02762012000700019.

The performances of two rapid tests and a standard serological test for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were compared using sera from 193 patients with VL and 85 controls. The Kala-Azar Detect^®, IT-LEISH^® and IFI-LH^® assays showed sensitivities of 88.1%, 93.3% and 88.6%, respectively, and specificities of 90.6%, 96.5% and 80%, respectively. The sensitivity values were similar for both rapid tests, but the specificity and positive predictive values of IT-LEISH^® were higher than the corresponding values for IFI-LH^®. Both rapid tests showed satisfactory performances and can be used in primary health care settings; however, IT-LEISH^® permits the use of whole blood, making this assay more suitable for bedside diagnosis.

Keywords : visceral leishmaniasis; diagnosis; rapid test.