Evaluation of two rapid hepatitis B surface antigen detection tests for screening in a blood bank

The sensitivity and specificity of two rapid, low cost latex agglutination HBsAg detection tests were compared to a EIA HBsAg detection test using serum samples from 371 pregnant women in Kajiado, a rural Kenyan district. The sensitivity of the latex agglutination tests when compared to the EIA was 70.6% and 61.8%, while specificity was 92.0% and 85.2% respectively for the same tests. In view of their low sensitivity these rapid tests are not suitable for screening blood in district hospitals.