Comparisons among two serological tests and microscopic examination for the detection of Theileria annulata in cattle in northern Sudan

We tested the agreement between microscopic examination (ME), a surface protein-detecting enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TaSP ELISA) and an indirect fluorescent assay (IFA) for detection of Theileria annulata in 2661 naturally infected cattle from northern Sudan (samples collected between June 2001 and July 2002). In the ME, we detected piroplasms in 364/2661 cattle (14%), and the kappas between the ME and the serological tests were poor (TaSP ELISA 10%; IFA 8%). The TaSP ELISA detected 885/2661 cattle as positive, and the Rogan-and-Gladen corrected true prevalence of this sample was estimated to be 30%. The relative sensitivity and specificity of the IFA (compared to the previously validated TaSP ELISA) were 70.7% and 81.8%, respectively.