title: [Comparison of the indirect immunofluorescent (IFAT), ELISA test and the comercial Chagatek test for anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies detection].
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.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, DC, Colombia.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Enciso
authors.forename: Marleny
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montilla
authors.forename: María M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Santacruz
authors.forename: Rubén Santiago
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Nicholls
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mercado
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Puerta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan