title: A rapid, quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the immunodiagnosis of Chagas' disease.
abstract: A rapid, quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the immunodiagnosis of Chagas' disease is described. The ELISA was standardized with the Falcon assay screening test (F.A.S.T.) system using a purified Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote fraction (PEF) obtained by ion exchange chromatography. The ELISA technique and an indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) test were used to search for T.cruzi--specific IgG antibodies in 73 patients with chronic Chagas' disease, 58 patients with heterologous infections and 20 healthy controls. The ELISA exhibited 98.6% sensitivity and 98.7% specificity, whereas the sensitivity and specificity of the IIF test were 94.5% and 96.2%, respectively. The excellent performance with regard to sensitivity and specificity, as well as the short assay time make the F.A.S.T. system--based ELISA with PEF a potentially useful tool in screening for antibodies against T. cruzi.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Partel
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D013997:Time Factors; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan