Performance of DPP™ immunochromathographic rapid test (IRT) for canine visceral leishmaniasis: comparison with other serological methods in suspected dogs from Cuiabá, Mato Grosso State, Brazil

Abstract

The immunochromathographic rapid test (IRT) for canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) was tested in suspected dogs from the urban area of Cuiabá. The performance of IRT was compared with IFT and EIE and the direct parasitological test (DPT) as the gold standard. The sample, comprising 45 dogs, was selected by the Zoonosis Control Center. Twenty (51%) were male and thirty-four (75.5%) were both mongrel and had an estimated age of less than three years old. According to clinical data and lab tests: 10 (26.3%) dogs have been classified as exposed or infected and 18 (47.4%) as sick. IRT has achieved the best result for sensibility, 62%, high specificity, 87% and for positive and negative predictive values: 83.3% and negative 81.48%, respectively, reinforced by a k coefficient equal to 0.50, representing substantial agreement.