Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026
Field Postmortem Rabies Rapid Immunochromatographic Diagnostic Test for Resource-Limited Settings with Further Molecular Applications
Published on: June 29, 2020
Rapid diagnostic tests for dengue and leptospirosis: antibody detection is insensitive at presentation
Adam L Cohen1, Scott F Dowell, Ananda Nisalak
1Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. alcohen1@cdc.gov
Objective:
To determine the performance of rapid diagnostic tests for dengue and leptospirosis that rely on detecting antibodies that may not be produced when patients present for medical treatment.
Methods:
We prospectively enrolled 723 patients with undifferentiated febrile illness presenting to rural hospitals in northern and northeastern Thailand over a 1-year period. We evaluated rapid antibody detection diagnostic tests for dengue and leptospirosis on these patients.
Results:
Sensitivity of the tests was low at the acute visit (7.6-21.5%). Sensitivity at the convalescent visit ranged from 25.8% to 81.5% and was significantly higher than at the acute visit for all tests (chi(2), P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Low sensitivity of the rapid tests at presentation suggests that their utility in the acute phase of dengue and leptospirosis is limited.
