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Table 1 Serological parameters used in the study for data collection

From: Completeness of hepatitis, brucellosis, syphilis, measles and HIV/AIDS surveillance in Izmir, Turkey

Disease

WHO serological criteria [3]

Additional criteria and relevance

Hepatitis A

IgM anti-HAV positive (acute)

-

Hepatitis B

HBsAg positive (unspecified) or IgM anti-HBc positive (acute)

Total anti-HBc positive when IgM Anti-HBc not tested

HBV-DNA positive

Hepatitis C

anti-HCV positive (acute and unspecified combined)

HCV-confirmation positive

HCV-RNA positive, showing also infectivity

Brucellosisa

Brucella agglutination titre (e.g., standard tube agglutination > 160) or ELISA (IgA, IgG, IgM), 2-ME (confirmed)

Rose-Bengal test, due to its use as a screening test (probable)

Syphilis

RPR or VDRL confirmed by TPHA or FTA

-

Measlesb

Specific IgM antibodies

-

HIV infection

HIV positive serology (ELISA), confirmation

HIV-RNA positive

  1. a For brucellosis, complement fixation, FAT and RIA for detecting antilipopolysaccharide antibodies also exist among WHO criteria but as these tests were not being performed in any laboratory in Izmir, they are not used as criteria.
  2. b For measles, "at least a fourfold increase in antibody titre and virus isolation" is also stated among WHO criteria. But as it would not be practical to follow-up the first criteria and as virus isolation was not performed in any laboratory in Izmir, these criteria were not used.