Evaluation of the Efficacy of Different Serological Methods (rK39 dipstick, ELISA and IFA) Techniques in the Diagnosis of Visceral leishmaniasis

The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of rK39, ELISA and IFA tests for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis using blood samples. Samples were collected from 146 suspected patients and 30 healthy individual as control. The results showed 52 (35.62%), 58 (39.73%) and 71 (48.64%) positive samples by rK39, ELISA and IFA , respectively. IFA test showed a higher sensitivity (48.63%) than ELISA and rk39 dip stick (39.72%) and (35.61%) respectively. The highest sensitivity of agreement (K: 0.912) was found between rK39 dipstick and ELISA. Therefore, we suggest the application of rK39 dipstick and ELISA methods in endemic areas of visceral leishmaniasis for early and accurate diagnosis of this disease.