Leukocyte Esterase Reagent Strips for Stall-Side Diagnosis of Endometritis in Mares.

The research paper entails a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of a leukocyte esterase test (LET) and endometrial cytology in diagnosing endometritis in mares. The researchers observed that while the LET could identify extreme cases of endometritis, it wasn’t sensitive enough to rule out the disease in all cases.

Study Objective and Methodology

• The purpose of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of a commercially available leukocyte esterase strip test and compare it with endometrial cytology for the detection of endometritis. The researchers sought to establish sensitivity, specificity and a cut-off point for LET.
• 46 light breed mares, presented for breeding management, were part of the study.
• To determine when the mares were in estrus, transrectal palpation and ultrasonography examinations were conducted.
• Kalayjian endometrial swabs were used for the purpose of culture, cytology, and the LET, the cap of which was used to obtain an endometrial scraping.

Findings and Results

• From the 46 mares, 36 had a negative LET.
• The study found no significant correlation between the results of cytology and culture, or between the results of LET and culture.
• The correlation coefficient (a statistical measurement of the correlation between two variables) between LET and cytology was 0.698.
• The LET had a receiver operator curve (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) of 0.871. The ROC curve is a graphical representation of the sensitivity and specificity of a diagnostic test. An AUC of 0.871 suggests that LET has a reasonably high predictive accuracy.
• The established cut off value for the test was any result that had trace or greater amounts. The sensitivity at this point (ability of the test to correctly identify those with the disease) was 77.8% and specificity (ability of the test to correctly identify those without the disease) was 94.6%.

Conclusion

• As evidenced by the results, the leukocyte esterase test could be used to identify severe instances of endometritis, but it lacks the sensitivity to rule out the presence of the disease comprehensively.