Design standards for experimental and field studies to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of tests for infectious diseases in aquatic animals

Funded Activity Summary

In aquatic animals, experimental studies are often used to study the pathogenicity of an etiologic agent; to study interactions between the host, pathogen, and environment; and to evaluate the comparative performance of existing and novel diagnostics. In the latter case, specimens are sometimes collected from animals at different stages of infection post-challenge to demonstrate temporal changes in diagnostic sensitivity post-challenge. Diagnostic accuracy studies should be designed to assess a test’s fitness for a designated purpose, and the design should also inform reporting in peer-reviewed journals. Reported studies should include clear descriptions of purpose and intended application, and authors should discuss the limitations of their results in the context of other available or currently-used tests to facilitate informed decisions by end-users. In human medical research, standards exist for various aspects of diagnostic test research, including guidelines for accurate and transparent reporting and for quality assessment of methodologies in systematic reviews of diagnostic-accuracy studies. Similar standards are required for animal, including aquatic animal, research. It is anticipated that the established criteria, from human clinical research for evaluating diagnostic accuracy studies, can be adapted to develop a standardized set of criteria for the design of field and experimental studies to assess diagnostic accuracy for infectious diseases in aquatic animals.

Objectives:
1. Evaluate (a) design criteria reported for diagnostic studies of OIE-listed diseases of finfish, molluscs and crustaceans and (b) test design and accuracy recommendations from OIE, peer-reviewed literature in aquatic animal health and other sources (e.g. aquatic animal health experts).
2. Develop a list of gaps or inconsistencies in current design criteria and reporting for OIE-listed diseases in aquatic species, based on collected recommendations from Objective 1.
3. Compile consensus-based standards in an applicable format for diagnostic studies in finfish, molluscs and crustaceans for use by research journals and laboratories.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-06-2016

End Date: 31-03-2017

Funding Scheme: Funding Scheme not available

Funding Amount: $24,000.00

Funder: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

There are no FoR codes available for this funding activity

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Animal Health | Diagnostic | Disease

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