Browsing by Author "Sharma, Rekha R."

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    Evaluation of the immunochromatographic strip test for the rapid diagnosis of antenatal syphilis in women in Eldoret, Kenya.
    (Elsevier, 2009) Nyamwamu, Lydia B.; Gicheru, Michael M.; Sharma, Rekha R.; Kimutai, Albert; Tonui, Willy K.; Kamau, Ngure Peter
    Objective; This study compared the performance of the immunochromatographic strip (ICS) to the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test and Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) at a primary health care setting. Methods; The study group was comprised of 150 females randomly drawn from a population of pregnant women attending their first antenatal visit or follow-up visits at West Maternity Hospital in Eldoret Kenya, but without a previous syphilis test during that pregnancy. On-site VDRL, ICS and TPHA tests were performed and immediate treatment provided where appropriate. The performance of the three tests was compared. Results; The zero-prevalence of syphilis as determined by the VDRL test was 3%. There was no significant difference between the ICS and the VDRL test (P > 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of the ICS test were 80% and 98.6% respectively, while the negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV) were both 100%. On the other hand, the sensitivity and specificity of the VDRL test were 66.7% and 99.3%, while the NPV and PPV were 80% and 98.6% respectively. The Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay was used as a reference test and had sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV of 100%.