A comparative study of Widal test and Typhidot (IgM and IgG specific assay) test in the diagnosis of enteric fever
Journal Title: International Archives of Integrated Medicine - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 7
Abstract
Background: Enteric fever (Typhoid fever) is a common systemic infectious disease worldwide, especially in developing countries like India and continues to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. It is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi serotypes A, B and C. The clinical diagnosis of Enteric fever traditionally depends on Blood culture and Widal tests. However limitations such as longer time for Blood culture results and difficulties in the interpretation of Widal tests make them unpractical for screening patients in endemic regions and lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. Aim and objectives: Purpose of the study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of Widal test and Typhidot based IgM and IgG assay with the Blood culture (taken as gold standard) in the diagnosis of Enteric fever. Materials and methods: This comparative study was done on 120 patients in the General Medicine Department of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna. All patients above 11 years of age of either sex with acute febrile illness suspected to have Enteric fever were included in this study. Febrile patients with other diagnosis were excluded. Blood culture, Widal test, Typhidot (IgM and IgG) test and other routine investigations were performed in all patients. Typhidot tests and Widal tests were compared for sensitivity and specificity. Results: Out of 120 clinically diagnosed cases of Enteric fever, 18(15%) patients were Blood culture positive for Salmonella typhi, 27(22.5%) patients were positive on Widal tests and 36(30%) were Typhidot positive. Out of 18 Blood culture positive patients for Salmonella typhi, 10 patients were positive and 8 were negative on Widal testing. Out of 36 Typhidot positive patients 16 patients were positive and 20 were negative on Blood culture. Conclusions: Traditionally Blood culture and Widal test are used in the diagnosis of Enteric fever. However Typhidot (IgM & IgG assay) tests are simple and rapid screening tests that simultaneously detect and differentiate between IgM and IgG antibody to Salmonella typhi and paratyphi produced in response to infection, thus aiding in determination of current or previous exposure. It offers the advantage of early and rapid diagnosis and helps in early institution of therapy. Preliminary data have shown sensitivity and specificity of 95% and 86% respectively of Typhidot tests.
Authors and Affiliations
Jyoti Kumar Dinkar, Naresh Kumar, Chandra kishore
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP407635
- DOI -
- Views 167
- Downloads 0
Comparison of postoperative analgesic efficacy of epidural ropivacaine and ropivacaine with tramadol in adults undergoing abdominal surgeries under general anesthesia
Background: Pain is regarded as a complex experience consisting of sensory, physiological, psychological and behavioral components. Management of pain can be best achieved by an approach that takes into consideration, th...
A cross-sectional analytical study on the association of body mass index to dynamic lung volumes – assessed by digital spirometer in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai
Introduction: Obesity causes reduction of Lung compliance leading to decrease in lung volumes producing mostly a restrictive type of ventilatory defect. Compression of the thoracic cage by excessive fat and increased poo...
Comparison of analgesic properties of perineural and systemic dexamethasone in patients undergoing upper limb surgeries under supraclavicular block
Introduction: Pain in the postoperative period is the distressing period after any surgeries particularly in the first 24 hours. Postoperative pain is associated with an increase in sympathetic activity leading to increa...
Couvelaire uterus - A case report
“Couvelaire uterus” or “Utero-placental apoplexy” is a rare complication of severe forms of placental abruption. It occurs when vascular damage within the placenta causes hemorrhage that progresses to and infiltrates the...
Comparison of effect of different sensitizing manoeuvres on Slump test in patients with low back pain having normal and overweight Body Mass Index
Introduction: Slump test, a neurodynamic test, is used to test mechanical movement of the neurological tissues and to test their sensitivity to mechanical stress. Various studies have found that neural tissue mobility di...