Clinical utility of peptide microarrays in the serodiagnosis of neglected tropical diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: protocol for a diagnostic test accuracy systematic review

Abstract

IntroductionNeglected tropical diseases tend to cluster in the same poor populations and, to make progress with their control, they will have to be dealt with in an integrated manner. Peptide microarrays may be a solution to these problems, where diagnosis for co-infection can be detected simultaneously using the one tool. A meta-analysis using hierarchical models will be performed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of peptide microarrays for detecting schistosomiasis (Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium), soil-transmitted helminths (Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and Necator americanus), trachoma (Chlamydia trachomatis), lymphatic filariasis (Wuchereria bancrofti) and onchocerciasis (Onchocerca volvulus) in people residing in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods and analysisA comprehensive search of the following databases will be performed: Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialised Register, PubMed, EMBASE and The Web of Science. Studies comparing peptide microarrays with a reference standard from a random or consecutive series of patients will be included in the study. Two review authors will independently screen titles and abstracts for relevance, assess full-text articles for inclusion and carry out data extraction using a tailored data extraction form. The quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool will be used to assess the quality of the selected studies. The bivariate model and the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve model will be performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the peptide microarrays. Meta-regression analyses will be performed to investigate heterogeneity across studies.Ethics and disseminationThere is no requirement for ethical approval because the work will be carried out using previously published data, without human beings involvement. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication and in conference presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020175145.

Diagnostic performances of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni recombinant proteins, peptides and chimeric proteins antibody based tests. Systematic scoping review

“…One way to circumvent the problems associated with antibody based tests is the use of synthetic peptides which are well defined, easily produced in large amounts when required, highly pure with almost no batch-to-batch variation and they are very stable and cost-saving compared to the production of natural antigens in animal models or from in vitro culture [ 24 , 66 , 67 ].…”

“…The methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and further refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute [ 22 , 23 ] was used to develop the protocol and guide data extraction. Our methodology was also based upon previous reviews by our group [ 24 , 25 ] in conjunction with other relevant scoping reviews [ 26 – 28 ]. As a scoping review is a continual process, the methodology was continuously revised as the review progressed.…”

Identification ofSchistosoma haematobiumandSchistosoma mansonilinear B-cell epitopes with diagnostic potential usingin silicoimmunoinformatic tools and peptide microarray technology

“…Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by blood flukes from the genus Schistosoma (1). Zimbabwe is endemic to urogenital schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma haematobium and intestinal schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni (2)(3)(4). Besides effective implementation of mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns, access to safe water, improved sanitation and snail control, diagnostic tests are important tools for achieving and sustaining schistosomiasis elimination (1,5,6).…”

“…However, currently available serological tests exhibit low specificity and are laden with cross-reactivity issues with other helminthic infections due to shared antigenic epitopes (14,15). One way to mitigate the crossreactivity challenge and increase specificity is to use bioinformatic and proteomics tools to predict schistosome specific immunodominant B-cell epitopes with little or no sequence identity to proteins other than the target (4,14,16). However, to date, only a limited number of linear B-cell epitopes have been identified for the serological diagnosis of S. haematobium and S. mansoni (17)(18)(19).…”