Table 1.
Comparative sensitivity and specificity of buccal swab samples from patients confirmed to have VL and from different control groups
| Subjects | No. of patients with the following result by PCR: |
Sensitivity (%) | Specificity (%) | 95% CIa (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative | Positive | ||||
| Healthy controls from areas where leishmaniasis is not endemic (n = 39) | 39 | 0 | 100 | 95.00–100 | |
| Healthy controls from areas where leishmaniasis is endemic (n = 92)b | 79 | 13 | 86.00 | 77.31–91.55 | |
| Subjects with a different disease (n = 28) | 26 | 2 | 92.85 | 77.00–98.00 | |
| Patients confirmed to have VL (n = 148) | 25 | 123 | 83.11 | 76.25–88.29 | |
a
95% CI, 95% confidence interval.
b
For 42 healthy controls from areas where leishmaniasis is endemic, PCR was also performed on blood samples, and there was complete agreement in results obtained from buccal swabs.