The Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) Is an Unreliable Predictor of Infecting Leptospira Serovar in Thailand
Smythe LD., Wuthiekanun V., Chierakul W., Suputtamongkol Y., Tiengrim S., Dohnt MF., Symonds ML., Slack AT., Apiwattanaporn A., Chueasuwanchai S., Day NP., Peacock SJ.
A prospective study in Thailand identified 106 patients with culture-proven leptospirosis. The accuracy of the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) in predicting the infecting serovar was evaluated in 78/106 (74%) patients with a diagnostic titer. MAT correctly determined the infecting serovar in 26 cases (33%), indicating that this assay is a poor predictor of infecting serovar in our setting.