Publications scientifiques
Palmer Masumbe Netongo
Autres affiliations : Navajo Technical University
Fuh Roger Neba
Séverin Donald Kamdem
Autres affiliations : Catholic University of Central Africa
Irene Ane Anyangwe
Deguy D’or Luogbou Nzu
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Background: The consequences of Toxoplasmosis could be devastating in individuals with a suppressed immune system such as pregnant women and their unborn children. Early detection during pregnancy could prevent the development of congenital deformities. However, the reference test for Toxoplasmosis diagnosis, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), is expensive and not feasible in peripheral settings in poor countries. Objective: We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy/performance of the cheaper and user-friendly combination of rapid Immunochromatographic assay and the latex agglutination tests as an alternative to ELISA. Methods: Blood samples from 83 participants recruited from two health facilities in Yaounde, Cameroon were tested using rapid Immunochromatographic assay (rapid diagnostic test RDT), latex agglutination (LA) tests, and ELISA as reference. Measures of diagnostic performance were determined. Results: Mean age of participants was 28.7±.6.7 years. The Sensitivity, specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV) and accuracy were respectively 78.0%, 84.9%, 88.6%, 71.8% and 80.7% for RDTs; respectively 94.0%, 72.7%, 83.9%, 88.9% and 85.5% for LA test. The combination of the two tests had a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of respectively 94.0%, 66.7%, 81.0%, 88.0%, and 83.1% respectively. Conclusion: The diagnostic performance of the combination of RDT and LA tests met three of the four World Health Organization standards. Albeit the relatively low specificity, the high sensitivity of the combination of both tests warrants their sequential use for the screening of human toxoplasmosis in remote areas with limited ELISA capacity.
