Diagnostic Performance of Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Detecting Brucellosis Antibodies in Goats
Keywords:
Brucellosis, Lateral flow immunochromatography, Antibody detection, GoatAbstract
Recently, lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA)-based brucellosis test kits have been imported into Thailand. These kits offer simplicity and rapid results, making them potentially valuable tools for facilitating goat trade while preventing disease transmission. However, their diagnostic performance has not yet been evaluated. This study assessed the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic agreement of a commercial LFIA-based test kit for brucellosis detection in goats by comparing the results with those obtained from validated laboratory diagnostic methods, which served as the reference standard. A total of 275 goat serum samples were analyzed using a commercial LFIA-based test kit. The results from the Rose Bengal test and microtiter plate agglutination test previously performed at the Kamphaeng Saen Veterinary Diagnostic Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, served as references to evaluate the performance of the test kit. Based on the analysis of the commercial LFIA-based test kit, its sensitivity and specificity were 86.10% and 90.91%, respectively. In addition, its Cohen's kappa coefficient of 0.731 indicated a substantial level of agreement with the laboratory test results. Therefore, the commercial LFIA-based test kit could be recommended as a screening tool for brucellosis in goats, particularly in situations where immediate results are required.
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