University of Wisconsin–Madison

Sensitivity

The frequency that a test for paratuberculosis is POSITIVE when animals are infected: the true-positive rate. Tests on infected animals are either true-positive or false-negative. Diagnostic sensitivity as described here must be distinguished from analytical sensitivity: the number of analytes (things being measured) it takes to trigger a positive test result. Example: the number of antibody molecules in serum needed to trigger a positive ELISA.