Table 1.
Summary of diagnostic techniques used for animal African trypanosomosis and non-tsetse transmitted animal trypanosomosis
| Target | Techniquea | Analytic sensitivity (parasite/ml) | Sensitivity (percentage estimation if available) | Specificity | Logistic needs: field/laboratory | Cost | Infection step | Scale | Livestock /fauna | Test objective and/or context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parasite | Wet blood film | 104–105 [80] | No data | + | Field: microscope | Low | Acute infection | Individual | Livestock (fresh blood) | Epidemiology or experimental follow-up |
| HTC/BCM | 2.5 × 102–5 × 103 | + (14–24) [82] | + + | Field: microcentrifuge + microscope | Low | Acute sub-acute infection | Individual (group) | Livestock (fresh blood) | Individual diagnostic (epidemiology) | |
| mAECT | + | + + | Field: microcentrifuge + microscope | High | Acute sub-acute infection | Individual | Livestock (fresh blood) | For research: parasite isolation | ||
| Rodents inoculation | 10–103 | + + + | + + + | Laboratory with animal facilities | High | Acute sub-acute infection | Individual | Livestock (fresh blood) | For research: parasite isolation | |
| DNA | Pan-species primers (ITS1) | 50 [83] | + + (54–74) [84] | + + may require sequencing (99–100) [84] | Laboratory for molecular biology | High | Acute sub-acute infection | Individual and group | Livestock and wildlife | Epidemiology |
| Genus/species specific primers | 1–10 [85] | + + + (65–88) [84] | + + + + (99–100) [84] | Laboratory for molecular biology | High | Acute sub-acute infection | Individual and group | Livestock and wildlife | Epidemiology | |
| Antibodies | ELISA against total antigens | + + + (90.5) [82] | + + | Laboratory for serology | Low | Acute to chronic and past infection | Group (individual) | Livestock | Epidemiology (individual diagnostic) | |
| Protein specific ELISA | + + + (98.9) [86]; (85.9–98.1) [87] | + + + (98.9) [86]; (90.4–100) [87] | Laboratory for serology | Medium | Acute to chronic and past infection | Group (individual) | Livestock | Epidemiology (individual diagnostic) | ||
| Agglutination test (CATT) | + + (87) [88]; (44.5–95.2) [89]; (76–88) [90]; (32.4–52.9) [91] | + + (81) [88]; (79.5–99.5) [89]; (92–98) [90]; (77.8–84.6) [91] | Field | Low | Acute to chronic and past infection | Individual (group) | Livestock | Individual diagnostic (epidemiology) | ||
| IFAT | + + | + | Laboratory for serology | Medium | Acute to chronic and past infection | Individual (group) | Livestock | Individual diagnostic | ||
| CFT | + + (31.5–73.5) [89]; (90–100) [92] | + + (89.2–98.5) [89]; (89–99) [92] | Laboratory for serology | Medium | Acute to chronic and past infection | Group (individual) | Livestock | Individual diagnostic (epidemiology) | ||
| TL | No data | + + | Laboratory with animal facilities | Very high | Acute to chronic and past infection | Individual | Livestock | Individual diagnostic |
Main test characteristics are indicated. Qualitative information is given for sensitivity and specificity, ranging from low (−) to high (+ + +) performance. Quantitative data are given when available. It should be noted that these values are not directly comparable since tests were performed on different samples sets, with different techniques and in different laboratories. Primary use is indicated first and additional use is given in parentheses
aSee Abbreviation List for the full description of each abbreviation