Performance characteristics and costs of serological tests for brucellosis in a pastoralist community of northern Tanzania

Lukambagire, A. S. et al. (2021) Performance characteristics and costs of serological tests for brucellosis in a pastoralist community of northern Tanzania. Scientific Reports, 11, 5480. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82906-w) (PMID:33750848) (PMCID:PMC7943594)

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Publisher's URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-82906-w

Abstract

The control of brucellosis across sub-Saharan Africa is hampered by the lack of standardized testing and the use of tests with poor performance. This study evaluated the performance and costs of serological assays for human brucellosis in a pastoralist community in northern Tanzania. Serum collected from 218 febrile hospital patients was used to evaluate the performance of seven index tests, selected based on international recommendation or current use. We evaluated the Rose Bengal test (RBT) using two protocols, four commercial agglutination tests and a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, Youden’s index, diagnostic accuracy, and per-sample cost of each index test were estimated. The diagnostic accuracy estimates ranged from 95.9 to 97.7% for the RBT, 55.0 to 72.0% for the commercial plate tests, and 89.4% for the cELISA. The per-sample cost range was $0.69–$0.79 for the RBT, $1.03–$1.14 for the commercial plate tests, and $2.51 for the cELISA. The widely used commercial plate tests performed poorly and cost more than the RBT. These findings provide evidence for the public health value of discontinuing the use of commercial agglutination tests for human brucellosis in Tanzania.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Lukambagire, Mr Abdul Hamid and Halliday, Dr Jo and Mendes, Ângelo and Bodenham, Dr Rebecca and Thomas, Dr Kate
Authors: Lukambagire, A. S., Mendes, Â. J., Bodenham, R. F., McGiven, J. A., Mkenda, N. A., Mathew, C., Rubach, M. P., Sakasaka, P., Shayo, D. D., Maro, V. P., Shirima, G. M., Thomas, K. M., Kassanga, C. J., Kazwala, R. R., Halliday, J. E.B., and Mmbaga, B.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Scientific Reports
Publisher:Nature Research
ISSN:2045-2322
ISSN (Online):2045-2322
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2021 The Authors
First Published:First published in Scientific Reports 11: 5480
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License
Data DOI:10.5525/gla.researchdata.1119

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
171979Zoonoses and Emerging Livestock Systems ZELS Reducing the risk to livestock and people programme associated studentships - ZELS-ASSarah CleavelandBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)BB/N503563/1Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine
190785Molecular epidemology of brucellosis in northern TanzaniaDaniel HaydonBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)BB/L018845/1Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine
190821Hazards associated with zoonotic enteric pathogens in emerging livestock meat pathways (HAZEL)Ruth ZadoksBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)BB/L017679/1Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine