SynthesisJournal of clinical microbiology2014
Molecular tools for diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy.
Synthesis in Journal of clinical microbiology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 153 citations in OpenAlex.
- A novel pan-Leishmania loop-mediated isothermal amplification (Loopamp) assay for diagnosis of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Pooled it
- Performance of rapid rk39 tests for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Pooled it
- The diagnostic accuracy of direct agglutination test for serodiagnosis of human visceral leishmaniasis: a systematic review with meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2020Pooled it
- Accuracy of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis diagnosis using polymerase chain reaction: systematic literature review and meta-analysis.Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz · 2015Pooled it
- Visceral leishmaniasis: an integrated review of resistance mechanisms, host immunometabolism, and next generation therapeutics.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- Analytical and clinical performance of in-house and commercial real-time PCR assays for diagnosingJournal of clinical microbiology · 2026Article
- Application of ddPCR for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of visceral leishmaniasis patients: addition of an ultrasensitive tool to the diagnostic arsenal.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Diagnostic methods for protozoan diseases: a review focused on leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and malaria.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- When Precision Matters: Bone Marrow Cytology Meets qPCR in a Pilot Study QuantifyingMicroorganisms · 2025Article
- Article
- A 2D Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Device for Diagnosis of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis via Mass Spectrometry-Based Immunoassay.Analytical chemistry · 2025Article
- Article
- Simplified molecular diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: Laboratory evaluation of miniature direct-on-blood PCR nucleic acid lateral flow immunoassay.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Comparison of the Diagnostic Performances of Five Different Tests in Diagnosing Visceral Leishmaniasis in an Endemic Region of Ethiopia.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- An algorithm for visceral leishmaniasis diagnosis in Brazil from a 10-year analysis of National Reference Laboratory data.Parasitology research · 2024Article
- A 10-Year Retrospective Study on Pediatric Visceral Leishmaniasis in a European Endemic Area: Diagnostic and Short-Course Therapeutic Strategies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Mucosal Relapse of Visceral Leishmaniasis in a Child with SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Disseminated Skin Lesions in a Patient Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus.Open forum infectious diseases · 2023Article
- A Rare Case of Imported Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused byTropical medicine and infectious disease · 2023Article
- Updated diagnosis and graft involvement for visceral leishmaniasis in kidney transplant recipients: a case report and literature review.Infection · 2023Review
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Molecular methods have been proposed as highly sensitive tools for the detection of Leishmania parasites in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients. Here, we evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of these tools in a meta-analysis of the published literature. The selection criteria were original studies that evaluate the sensitivities and specificities of molecular tests for diagnosis of VL, adequate classification of study participants, and the absolute numbers of true positives and negatives derivable from the data presented. Forty studies met the selection criteria, including PCR, real-time PCR, nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). The sensitivities of the individual studies ranged from 29 to 100%, and the specificities ranged from 25 to 100%. The pooled sensitivity of PCR in whole blood was 93.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.0 to 95.2), and the specificity was 95.6% (95% CI, 87.0 to 98.6). The specificity was significantly lower in consecutive studies, at 63.3% (95% CI, 53.9 to 71.8), due either to true-positive patients not being identified by parasitological methods or to the number of asymptomatic carriers in areas of endemicity. PCR for patients with HIV-VL coinfection showed high diagnostic accuracy in buffy coat and bone marrow, ranging from 93.1 to 96.9%. Molecular tools are highly sensitive assays for Leishmania detection and may contribute as an additional test in the algorithm, together with a clear clinical case definition. We observed wide variety in reference standards and study designs and now recommend consecutively designed studies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.