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Comparison of a serum indirect fluorescent antibody test with two Western blot tests for the diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.
Abstract: A serum indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was compared with a Western blot (WB) and a modified Western blot (mWB) for diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the area under the curve of the IFAT was greater than the areaunder the curves of the WB and the mWB (P = 0.025 and P = 0.044, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the areas under the curves of the WBs (P > 0.05). On the basis of an arbitrarily chosen cut-off titer for a positive test result of 1:80 for the IFAT and interpreting weak positive WB results as positive test results, the sensitivities and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of all 3 tests were identical and equal to 88.9% (51.8-99.7%). The specificities and 95% CIs of the IFAT, WB, and mWB test were 100% (91-100%), 87.2% (72.6-95.7%), and 69.2% (52.4-83%), respectively. The overall accuracy of the IFAT was shown to be better than that of the WBs and, therefore, the test has potential for use in the diagnosis of EPM caused by Sarcocystis neurona.
Publication Date: 2003-02-13 PubMed ID: 12580288DOI: 10.1177/104063870301500103Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Clinical Pathology
- Comparative Study
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease
- Disease Diagnosis
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis
- Horses
- Immunofluorescence Assay
- Immunology
- Infectious Disease
- Laboratory Methods
- Protozoa
- Sarcocystis
- Sensitivity and Specificity
- Serodiagnosis
- Serum
- Veterinary Medicine
- Western Blot
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of three diagnostic tests: a serum indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), a Western blot (WB) and a modified Western blot (mWB), for the disease equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses. The study found the IFAT had high sensitivity and specificity, making it potentially more useful than the other tests.
Background
- The study investigates three types of diagnostic tests for a neurologic disorder in horses called EPM, which is caused by a parasite, Sarcocystis neurona.
- The tests under scrutiny were: a serum indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), a Western blot (WB), and a modified Western blot (mWB).
Methods
- The researchers used a statistical way of assessing diagnostic tests known as receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to compare the effectiveness of the three tests.
- ROC analysis allows for the measurement of sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests; thus obtaining a better insight of the test’s ability to correctly identify positive cases (the disease is present) and negative cases (the disease is not present).
- The researchers also chose a cut-off point for a positive test result, which was necessary to classify the outcomes of the tests into positive or negative results.
Results
- According to the ROC analysis, the IFAT outperformed both versions of the WB in terms of area under the curve. This means the IFAT was better in distinguishing positive cases from negative ones.
- All three tests showed identical sensitivities (meaning their ability to correctly identify positive cases) of 88.9% within a 95% confidence interval (CI), establishing their high accuracy in detecting the disease.
- However, the IFAT had a specificity (the ability to correctly identify negative cases) of 100% within a 95% CI. This was higher than the WB’s 87.2% and mWB’s 69.2%, indicating that the IFAT was more reliable in correctly identifying horses without the disease.
Conclusion
- The overall accuracy of the IFAT was shown to be superior to that of the WB tests. Therefore, according to the authors, the IFAT has potential for use in the diagnosis of EPM.
Cite This Article
APA
Duarte PC, Daft BM, Conrad PA, Packham AE, Gardner IA.
(2003).
Comparison of a serum indirect fluorescent antibody test with two Western blot tests for the diagnosis of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 15(1), 8-13.
https://doi.org/10.1177/104063870301500103 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8737, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan / analysis
- Blotting, Western / methods
- Cross Reactions
- Encephalomyelitis / diagnosis
- Encephalomyelitis / immunology
- Encephalomyelitis / parasitology
- Encephalomyelitis / veterinary
- Female
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / methods
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Male
- Sarcocystis / immunology
- Sarcocystis / isolation & purification
- Sarcocystosis / complications
- Sarcocystosis / diagnosis
- Sarcocystosis / veterinary
- Sensitivity and Specificity
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Borges-Silva W, de Jesus RF, Ferreira R, Gondim LFP. Reactivity of Horse Sera to Antigens Derived From Sarcocystis falcatula-Like and Sarcocystis neurona. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:573016.
- Gomes FA, Jansen AM, Machado RZ, Jesus Pena HF, Fumagalli MJ, Silva A, Alves BF, Roque ALR, Moraes Figueiredo LT. Serological evidence of arboviruses and coccidia infecting horses in the Amazonian region of Brazil. PLoS One 2019;14(12):e0225895.
- Ferreira R, Borges-Silva W, de Jesus RF, Gondim LFP. Development of Cystoisospora felis in Cell Culture and in vitro Formation of Monozoic Tissue Cysts. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:361.
- Minuzzi CE, de Souza Rodrigues F, Marques CB, Gallina T, Dos Santos TC, Portella LP, Bräunig P, Döhler AR, Sangioni LA, Vogel FSF. Anti-Sarcocystis Antibodies in Lambs Deprived of Colostrum. Acta Parasitol 2020 Mar;65(1):256-258.
- Reed SM, Furr M, Howe DK, Johnson AL, MacKay RJ, Morrow JK, Pusterla N, Witonsky S. Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis: An Updated Consensus Statement with a Focus on Parasite Biology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Mar-Apr;30(2):491-502.
- Dubey JP, Howe DK, Furr M, Saville WJ, Marsh AE, Reed SM, Grigg ME. An update on Sarcocystis neurona infections in animals and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Vet Parasitol 2015 Apr 15;209(1-2):1-42.
- Hoane JS, Morrow JK, Saville WJ, Dubey JP, Granstrom DE, Howe DK. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of equine antibodies specific to Sarcocystis neurona surface antigens. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 2005 Sep;12(9):1050-6.
- Valderrama-Martinez C, Packham A, Smith W, Mendoza-Flores JE, Zheng S, Chigerwe M, Plancarte M, Aleman M. Effect of Long-Term Freezing on Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Titers for the Diagnosis of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Sep-Oct;39(5):e70225.
- Silva TMVD, De Santi M, Gonçalves LR, Merino MMJ, André MR, Machado RZ. Reactivity against Sarcocystis neurona and Sarcocystis falcatula-like in horses from Southeastern and Midwestern Brazil. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 2023;32(3):e007623.
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