Evaluation of a rapid Cryptosporidium/Giardia immunochromatographic test for diagnosis of giardiasis in dogs

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the RIDA® Quick Cryptosporidium/Giardia-Combi test (R-Biopharm AG) as a rapid method for the routine diagnosis of giardiasis in dogs. Compared to an ELISA coproantigen test (Prospect® Giardia Microplate Assay)), the immunochromatographic test had a sensitivity of 83 %, a specificity of 79 %, a positive predictive value of 33 %, and a negative predictive value of 97 %. The k value was 0.5. Although the immunochromatographic test is simpler to perform, it can not replace the Giardia ELISA coproantigen test for rapid diagnosis of giardiasis in dogs, since its sensitivity and specificity appear to be not comparable to those of the ELISA kit. No Cryptosporidium infection was detected.