dc.contributor.author |
Patterson, Stuart J.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Clarke, Charlene
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Clutton-Brock, Tim H.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Miller, Michele A.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Parsons, Sven D. C.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Pfeiffer, Dirk U.
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Vergne, Timothee
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Drewe, Julian A.
|
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2022-06-28T06:26:04Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2022-06-28T06:26:04Z |
|
dc.date.issued |
2021-12-04 |
|
dc.description |
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: SUPPLEMENTARY TABLE S1: Survival analysis of time until the appearance of visual signs of tuberculosis, SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S1. Relationship between serological test result and meerkat age, SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S2. IFN Inducible-Protein 10 Release Assay results for individuals in 4 social groups (F, N, Q, and Z). |
en_US |
dc.description.abstract |
Diagnostic tests are used to classify individual animals’ infection statuses. However,
validating test performance in wild animals without gold standard tests is extremely challenging, and
the issue is further complicated in chronic conditions where measured immune parameters vary over
time. Here, we demonstrate the value of combining evidence from different diagnostic approaches to
aid interpretation in the absence of gold standards, large sample sizes, and controlled environments.
Over a two-year period, we sampled 268 free-living meerkats (Suricata suricatta) longitudinally for
Mycobacterium suricattae (a causative agent of tuberculosis), using three ante-mortem diagnostic tests
based on mycobacterial culture, and antigen-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses,
interpreting results both independently and in combination. Post-mortem cultures confirmed M.
suricattae infection in 22 animals, which had prior ante-mortem information, 59% (13/22) of which
were test-positive on a parallel test interpretation (PTI) of the three ante-mortem diagnostic assays
(95% confidence interval: 37–79%). A similar ability to detect infection, 65.7% (95% credible interval:
42.7–84.7%), was estimated using a Bayesian approach to examine PTI. Strong evidence was found
for a near doubling of the hazard of death (Hazard Ratio 1.75, CI: 1.14–2.67, p = 0.01), associated with a positive PTI result, thus demonstrating that these test results are related to disease outcomes. For
individual tests, small sample sizes led to wide confidence intervals, but replication of conclusions,
using different methods, increased our confidence in these results. This study demonstrates that
combining multiple methodologies to evaluate diagnostic tests in free-ranging wildlife populations
can be a useful approach for exploiting such valuable datasets. |
en_US |
dc.description.department |
Mammal Research Institute |
en_US |
dc.description.librarian |
am2022 |
en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship |
The Kalahari Meerkat Project, which is supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the Human Frontier Science Program, the University of Zurich, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. This specific work was funded by BBSRC, the Royal Veterinary College, the Friends of the Kalahari Meerkat Project, the South African government through the South African Medical Research Council and the National Research Foundation South African Research Chair Initiative. |
en_US |
dc.description.uri |
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals |
en_US |
dc.identifier.citation |
Patterson, S.J.; Clarke, C.;
Clutton-Brock, T.H.; Miller, M.A.;
Parsons, S.D.C.; Pfeiffer, D.U.; Vergne,
T.; Drewe, J.A. Combining Analytical
Approaches and Multiple Sources of
Information to Improve
Interpretation of Diagnostic Test
Results for Tuberculosis in Wild
Meerkats. Animals 2021, 11, 3453.
https://DOI.org/10.3390/ani11123453. |
en_US |
dc.identifier.issn |
2076-2615 |
|
dc.identifier.other |
10.3390/ani11123453 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/85971 |
|
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_US |
dc.publisher |
MDPI |
en_US |
dc.rights |
© 2021 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license. |
en_US |
dc.subject |
DiagnosticS |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Interpretation |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Wildlife |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Tuberculosis (TB) |
en_US |
dc.title |
Combining analytical approaches and multiple sources of information to improve interpretation of diagnostic test results for tuberculosis in wild meerkats |
en_US |
dc.type |
Article |
en_US |