Publication
Title
Comparison of serological and real-time PCR assays to diagnose Bordetella pertussis infection in 2007
Author
Abstract
Bacterial culture for diagnosing pertussis infection has high specificity but poor sensitivity and is slow. Highly sensitive real-time PCR assays and single-serum pertussis serology have been developed to overcome these limitations, but there are few data available on the relative sensitivities and specificities of such assays for pertussis diagnosis. Using data on 195 participants (>= 7 years old) from an epidemiological study, we assessed the sensitivity, specificity, and performance (Youden index) for pertussis diagnosis of the pertussis toxin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (using single and paired serology) and of real-time PCR assays (using the IS481 and ptxA-Pr targets). All available diagnostic information (clinical and laboratory) was pooled to serve as the gold standard. Single serology was the most efficient diagnostic test (Youden index, 0.57 to 0.58), with relatively high sensitivity (>64%) and high specificity (>90%), independent of the cutoff level. IS481 PCR performance was superior to that of ptxA-Pr PCR, and it was the second-most-efficient tool (Youden index, 0.30). Performing both ptxA-Pr and IS481 PCRs did not improve diagnostic performance. The greatest test efficiency (Youden index, 0.69 to 0.74) was achieved when single-serum serology was used in combination with IS481 or pLrA-Pr PCR or paired serology. Combining single serology with one PCR or paired serology increased the sensitivity with an associated limited decrease in specificity. The most specific tests for diagnosis of pertussis were single serology and ptxA-Pr PCR, and the most sensitive diagnostic tool was the combination of IS481 PCR with single serology.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of clinical microbiology. - Washington, D.C.
Publication
Washington, D.C. : 2008
ISSN
0095-1137
DOI
10.1128/JCM.02187-07
Volume/pages
46 :5 (2008) , p. 1672-1677
ISI
000255678200015
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 15.02.2018
Last edited 31.01.2023
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