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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Estimating force of infection from serologic surveys with imperfect tests

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Author(s):
Alexander, Neal [1] ; Carabali, Mabel [2] ; Lim, Jacqueline K. [3]
Total Authors: 3
Affiliation:
[1] London Sch Hyg & Trop Med, MRC Int Stat & Epidemiol Grp, London - England
[2] McGill Univ, Dept Epidemiol Biostat & Occupat Hlth, Montreal, PQ - Canada
[3] Int Vaccine Inst, Global Dengue & Aedes Transmitted Dis Consortium, Seoul - South Korea
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: PLoS One; v. 16, n. 3 MAR 4 2021.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

Background The force of infection, or the rate at which susceptible individuals become infected, is an important public health measure for assessing the extent of outbreaks and the impact of control programs. Methods and findings We present Bayesian methods for estimating force of infection using serological surveys of infections which produce a lasting immune response, accounting for imperfections of the test, and uncertainty in such imperfections. In this estimation, the sensitivity and specificity can either be fixed, or belief distributions of their values can be elicited to allow for uncertainty. We analyse data from two published serological studies of dengue, one in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with a single survey and one in Medellin, Colombia, with repeated surveys in the same individuals. For the Colombo study, we illustrate how the inferred force of infection increases as the sensitivity decreases, and the reverse for specificity. When 100% sensitivity and specificity are assumed, the results are very similar to those from a standard analysis with binomial regression. For the Medellin study, the elicited distribution for sensitivity had a lower mean and higher variance than the one for specificity. Consequently, taking uncertainty in sensitivity into account resulted in a wide credible interval for the force of infection. Conclusions These methods can make more realistic estimates of force of infection, and help inform the choice of serological tests for future serosurveys. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 18/14389-0 - Brazil-UK Centre for Arbovirus Discovery, Diagnosis, Genomics and Epidemiology (CADDE)
Grantee:Ester Cerdeira Sabino
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants