A comparison study between Enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay and rapid latex agglutination test for the diagnosis of Rotavirus in human

Abstract

The present study was conducted for the period from 1st/ August/ 2010 to 30th/ November/2011 in Baquba city.The study aimed to explore the diagnostic capability of two laboratory techniques namely; rapid latex agglutination test, enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay for the detection of rotavirus in stool specimens of human. The study included 120 patients with acute diarrhea, 70 were male and 50 were female. The age range was from two months to 5 years.Detection of rotavirus in stool specimens was done by direct agglutination test (DAT) and Enzyme-liked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). The results of present study showed that the overall infection rate by rotavirus among patients with acute diarrhea by DAT and ELISA tests was 70% and 93.33%. The sensitivity and specificity of DAT and ELISA tests in detecting of RV in human stool specimens were 75.56% and 66.67% for the DAT test, whereas, 91.3% and 66.67% for ELISA test. The study concluded that rotavirus was detected in high rates among children less than 5 years old with acute diarrhea in Baquba city, particularly those less than 2 year old. Furthermore, the detection rate by ELISA was higher than by DAT test, suggesting that ELISA is the most appropriate method with excellent sensitivity and specificity for detection of RV in stool specimens in a setting like that in Baquba city.