Laboratory and field evaluation of a new rapid test for detecting Wuchereria bancrofti antigen in human blood

Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) guidelines call for using filarial antigen testing to identify endemic areas that require mass drug administration (MDA) and for post-MDA surveillance. We compared a new filarial antigen test (the Alere Filariasis Test Strip) with the referenc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 2013-07, Vol.89 (1), p.11-15
Main Authors: Weil, Gary J, Curtis, Kurt C, Fakoli, Lawrence, Fischer, Kerstin, Gankpala, Lincoln, Lammie, Patrick J, Majewski, Andrew C, Pelletreau, Sonia, Won, Kimberly Y, Bolay, Fatorma K, Fischer, Peter U
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Animals
Antigens, Helminth - blood
Antigens, Helminth - immunology
Child
Chromatography, Affinity
Disease Eradication - methods
Elephantiasis, Filarial - blood
Elephantiasis, Filarial - diagnosis
Elephantiasis, Filarial - epidemiology
Elephantiasis, Filarial - prevention & control
Female
Humans
Liberia - epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Reagent Strips - standards
Sensitivity and Specificity
Wuchereria bancrofti
Wuchereria bancrofti - immunology
Young Adult
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Summary:Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) guidelines call for using filarial antigen testing to identify endemic areas that require mass drug administration (MDA) and for post-MDA surveillance. We compared a new filarial antigen test (the Alere Filariasis Test Strip) with the reference BinaxNOW Filariasis card test that has been used by the GPELF for more than 10 years. Laboratory testing of 227 archived serum or plasma samples showed that the two tests had similar high rates of sensitivity and specificity and > 99% agreement. However, the test strip detected 26.5% more people with filarial antigenemia (124/503 versus 98/503) and had better test result stability than the card test in a field study conducted in a filariasis-endemic area in Liberia. Based on its increased sensitivity and other practical advantages, we believe that the test strip represents a major step forward that will be welcomed by the GPELF and the filariasis research community.
ISSN:0002-9637
1476-1645
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.13-0089