Comparative Study of Dot Enzyme Immunoassay (Typhidot-M) and Widal Test in the Diagnosis of Typhoid Fever

We compared the sensitivity and specificity of Typhidot-M and Widal test with blood culture (gold standard) for diagnosing typhoid fever in 105 children aged 1-15 years admitted with clinical suspicion of typhoid fever Of the 105 cases, blood culture was positive for S typhi in 41(39%) children, Widal test was positive in 48 (45.7%) and Typhidot-M was positive in 78 (74 3%) cases Sensitivity and specificity of Typhidot-M was 92 6% and 37.5% while sensitivity and specificity of Widal test was 34.1% and 42.8%, respectively In children with fever of less than 7 days duration, Typhidot-M was positive in 97%, compared to 24 2% by Widal test Typhidot-M is a simple and sensitive test for early diagnosis of typhoid fever in children