Performance of two lateral flow immunochromatographic assays for the diagnosis of brucellosis in humans

Authors

Keywords:

Brucella spp, brucellosis, diagnosis, rapid tests

Abstract

Introduction: Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Brucella genus, affecting several animal species. It is one of the major zoonoses, with the greatest distribution worldwide. The development of rapid lateral flow immunochromatographic diagnostics allows for a more accurate response to the "One Health" initiative and reduces the resulting economic losses.

Objective: To evaluate two rapid lateral flow tests with similar principles for the detection of antibodies against Brucella spp.

Methods: The performance of two rapid tests with the same principle, one using a protein A-colloidal gold conjugate and one using a protein G-colloidal gold conjugate, was evaluated using 105 blood and serum samples from veterinary workers and a reference panel. These samples were collected under optimal conditions, and their sensitivity, specificity, efficiency, kappa index, and positive and negative predictive values ​​compared to the rose Bengal assay were calculated.

Results: Sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency values ​​exceeding 90% were obtained, along with very good concordance; however, performance parameters were superior with the use of a protein A-colloidal gold conjugate.

Conclusions: Rapid tests using a protein A-colloidal gold conjugate and a protein G-colloidal gold conjugate are useful tools for diagnosing Brucella spp. infection.

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Published

2025-11-08

How to Cite

1.
Cruz Santana Y, Díaz Herrera DF, Martín Alfonso D, Cruz Sui O, Fragas Quintero A, Montano Tamayo L. Performance of two lateral flow immunochromatographic assays for the diagnosis of brucellosis in humans. Rev. cuba. med. mil [Internet]. 2025 Nov. 8 [cited 2025 Nov. 13];54(4):e025076306. Available from: https://revmedmilitar.sld.cu/index.php/mil/article/view/76306