Open AccessEvaluation of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Assessment of Hepatitis B in Resource-Limited Settings
Author(s) -
James Leathers,
María Belén Pisano,
Viviana Elizabeth Ré,
Gertine van Oord,
Amir Sultan,
André Boonstra,
José D. Debes
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
annals of global health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 66
ISSN - 2214-9996
DOI - 10.5334/aogh.2562
Subject(s) - hbsag , medicine , diagnostic test , hepatitis b , chronic hepatitis , liver disease , limited resources , virology , immunology , hepatitis b virus , pediatrics , risk analysis (engineering) , virus
Chronic Hepatitis B (HBV) is the most important cause of liver disease worldwide. There is a need for low-cost tests to aid in diagnosis and management of HBV infection in resource-limited settings. We evaluated the utility of several rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) in three different continents (Europe, South America, Africa). The HBsAg RDT showed optimal sensitivity and specificity. The anti-HBeAb RDT showed acceptable sensitivity and excellent specificity. Our results suggest that these RDTs could be used for screening and management of HBV.