Table 1.
A summary of sensitivity/specificity of leprosy laboratory tests.
| Type of test | Author (year of reported) | Countries/regions | Sample size | Sensitivity/specificity (%) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slit skin smear | Banerjee et al (2011) | India | 164 | Sensitivity: 1.8–59.8 Specificity: 100 |
[70] |
| Slit skin smear | Lima et al (2022) | Brazil | 345 | Sensitivity: 24.5 Specificity: 100 |
[71] |
| PCR | Siwakoti et al (2016) | Nepal | 50 | Sensitivity: 44–78 | [72] |
| qPCR | Azevedon et al (2017) | Brazil | 151 | Sensitivity: 80.1–84.9 | [73] |
| qPCR | Manta et al (2019) | Brazil | HHC: 2437 | Sensitivity: 50% Specificity: 94% |
[74] |
| PCR | Lima et al (2022) | Brazil | 345 | Sensitivity: 41 Specificity: 100 |
[71] |
| PCR | Sevilha-Santos et al (2022) | Brazil | 56 | Sensitivity: 50–70. Patients with BIs < 2 + had lower sensitivity | [75] |
| qPCR | Sarath et al (2023) | India | 32 | Sensitivity: 33–100 Specificity: 100 |
[76] |
| Serological test (anti-PGL-1 IgM) | Leturiondo et al (2019) | Brazil | Healthy:530 Patients: 292 |
Sensitivity: 81.0 Specificity: 81.7%. |
[77] |
| Serological test | Tiemi Nagao-Dias et al (2019) | Brazil | 68 (age 4–15 years) | Sensitivity: 25.0% (3.2–65.0%). Specificity: 100.0% (92.1–100.0%) | [78] |
| Serological test (anti-PGL-1 IgM) | Albuquerque et al (2022) | Brazil | 466 | Sensitivity: 24.1 (95% CI 13.0–38.2)- 76.0% (95% CI 61.8–86.9) | [79] |
| Serological test (anti-Mce1A IgM) | Lima et al (2023) | Brazil | New HD cases: 200 HHC: 105 HEC: 100 |
Sensitivity: 76.5% (70.0–82.2). Specificity: 88.0% (80.0–93.6) | [80] |
| Serological test (anti-PGL-1 IgM) | Lima et al (2023) | Brazil | New HD: 200 HHC: 105 HEC: 100 |
Sensitivity: 34.6% (28.5–41,2). Specificity: 96.0% (90.1–98.9) | [80] |
Anti-PGL-1 = anti-phenolic glycolipid antigen-I isotype; BIs = bacterial indices; HD = Hansen’s disease; HEC = healthy endemic control; HHC = household contact; Mce1A = mammalian cell entry 1A protein.