Abstract

Chagas disease is a public health problem in Colombia, particularly in the eastern region. Because of human migration from rural areas to urban centers, the possibility of transfusional transmission becomes increasingly important. However the risk can be minimized by a careful screening of blood donors by means of serological tests. Colombian blood banks use comercial, foreign serological tests for screening for T. cruzi infection. The purpose of the current study was to compare the IFAT and ELISA tests (both use antigen obtained from Colombian strains) with the comercially available Chagatek tests. Sera of blood donors were classified in two groups on the basis of the IFAT: group I, 15 positive patients and group II, 14 negative patients. Sera from each group were tested by the ELISA and Chagatek tests. The ELISA test detected 100% of the patients as positive in group I and 7% (1/14) of patients as positive in group II. The Chagatek test detected 93% (14/15) of the patients as positive in group I and 50% (7/14) in group II. The kappa index for concordance between the ELISA and IFAT tests was 0.93 (95% C.I.: 0.80-1.00); between IFAT and Chagatek 0.43 (95% C.I.: 0.26-0.62), and between ELISA and Chagatek 0.49 (95% C.I.: 0.31-0.67). These results highlighted the importance of using autochtonous Colombian strains as antigens in screening tests for blood donors.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.