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Table 2 Diagnostic performance of microscopy and nested PCR assays using DNA templates from saliva and urine samples.

From: Comparative detection of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum DNA in saliva and urine samples from symptomatic malaria patients in a low endemic area

Method/Specimen

Category

% Sensitivity

% Specificity

Accuracy

Kappa

Microscopy

P. falciparum

78.3

100

87.5

0.75

 

P. vivax

79.4

100

89.2

0.79

Nested PCR

     

   Saliva (in ethanol)

P. falciparum

56.5

100

75.0

0.53

 

P. vivax

69.8

100

84.2

0.69

   Saliva (on ice)

P. falciparum

37.7

100

64.2

0.34

 

P. vivax

31.8

100

64.2

0.31

   Saliva (all)

P. falciparum

65.2

100

80.0

0.61

 

P. vivax

76.2

100

87.5

0.75

   Urine (in ethanol)

P. falciparum

29.0

100

59.2

0.26

 

P. vivax

15.9

100

55.8

0.15

   Urine (on ice)

P. falciparum

14.5

100

50.8

0.13

 

P. vivax

12.7

100

54.2

0.12

   Urine (all)

P. falciparum

36.2

100

63.3

0.33

 

P. vivax

27.0

100

61.7

0.26

  1. Note. Nested PCR results from blood samples are used as the reference standard.