Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30472422›Full record

SynthesisClinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases2019

Diagnostic accuracy of leptospirosis whole-cell lateral flow assays: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

M J Maze, K J Sharples, K J Allan, M P Rubach, J A Crump

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 27% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Observational
  4. Review
  5. Laboratory Diagnosis of Leptospirosis.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2026
    Review
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Development of a new accurate lateral flow immunoassay for diagnosis of human leptospirosis.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2024
    Article
  10. Review
  11. Lateral flow assay for rapid serodiagnosis of bovine leptospirosis.Iranian journal of veterinary research · 2022
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Detection ofVeterinary world · 2020
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.

M J MazeCentre for International Health, University of Otago, New Zealand; Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania. Electronic address: michael.maze@otago.ac.nz.
K J SharplesDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
K J AllanBoyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
M P RubachKilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania; Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America.
J A CrumpCentre for International Health, University of Otago, New Zealand; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania; Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America.
University of Otago · NZDuke Medical Center · USDuke University · USGlasgow Centre for Population Health · GB

Funding

University of California Global Health Institute Program for Fellows and ScholarsR25TW009343 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI COHEN, CRAIG R, STRATHDEE, STEFFANIE A. · 2012 to 2017
$6.4M
International Clinical Trials UnitU01AI062563 · NIAID · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI BARTLETT, JOHN A · 2004 to 2007
$4.0M
Investigating Febrile Deaths in Tanzania (INDITe)R01AI121378 · NIAID · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI RUBACH, MATTHEW P · 2016 to 2020
$2.7M
The Impact and Society Ecology of Bacterial Zoonoses in Northern Tanzania: UnderR01TW009237 · FIC · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI CRUMP, JOHN ANDREW · 2011 to 2014
$1.7M
Viral Zoonoses and Severe Febrile Illness in Northern TanzaniaK23AI116869 · NIAID · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI RUBACH, MATTHEW P · 2016 to 2020
$896k
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/J010367/1Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/L018845/1Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/L018926/1FIC NIH HHS R01 TW009237FIC NIH HHS R25 TW009343NIAID NIH HHS K23 AI116869NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI121378NIAID NIH HHS U01 AI062563Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLeptospirosis is under-diagnosed by clinicians in many high-incidence countries, because reference diagnostic tests are largely unavailable. Lateral flow assays (LFA) that use antigen derived from heat-treated whole cell Leptospira biflexa serovar Patoc have the potential to improve leptospirosis diagnosis in resource-limited settings.

objectivesWe sought to summarize estimates of sensitivity and specificity of LFA by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of evaluations of the accuracy of LFA to diagnose human leptospirosis. DATA SOURCES: On 4 July 2017 we searched three medical databases. Study eligibility criteriaArticles were included if they were a study of LFA sensitivity and specificity.

participantsPatients with suspected leptospirosis.

interventionsNil.

methodsFor included articles, we assessed study quality, characteristics of participants and diagnostic testing methods. We estimated sensitivity and specificity for each study against the study-defined case definition as the reference standard, and performed a meta-analysis using a random-effects bivariate model.

resultsOur search identified 225 unique reports, of which we included nine (4%) published reports containing 11 studies. We classified one (9%) study as high quality. Nine (82%) studies used reference tests with considerable risk of misclassification. Our pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity were 79% (95% CI 70%-86%) and 92% (95% CI 85%-96%), respectively.

conclusionsAs the evidence base for determining the accuracy of LFA is small and at risk of bias, pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity should be interpreted with caution. Further studies should use either reference tests with high sensitivity and specificity or statistical techniques that account for an imperfect reference standard.

Indexed as

Antigens, BacterialBacterial ProteinsBiological AssayHumansImmunoassayLeptospiraLeptospirosisPoint-of-Care SystemsSensitivity and SpecificityAntigens, BacterialBacterial ProteinsleptospirinLeptospiraLeptospirosisPoint-of-care systemsSensitivitySpecificityZoonoses

Identifiers

PMID30472422
PMCPMC6456420
OpenAlexW2900643099

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.