Haematological malignancies as disorders negatively impacting specificities of the direct agglutination and rapid rK39 strip tests as reference diagnostics for visceral leishmanisis.

Introduction: During several years of work in Sudan, we occasionally had been confronted with patients who presented clinical features highly suggestive of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) however direct agglutination test (DAT) readings that were either at the high negative or low positive titre range. Inquiries on the fate of those particular patients revealed mortality, undetermined diagnosis or that in some of them leukaemia was finally diagnosed.

Gap Statement: Investigate as to what extent haematological malignancies (HMs) interfere with VL diagnosis.