Use of a rapid test on umbilical cord blood to screen for Trypanosoma cruzi infection in pregnant women in Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, and Mexico.
We conducted a cross-sectional study of Chagas disease in five endemic areas in Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, and México to estimate the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi-specific antibodies in pregnant women, and to assess the use of a rapid test (Chagas Stat-Pak) to screen for T. cruzi infection at the time of delivery. The prevalence of antibodies to T. cruzi measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in maternal blood was 5.5% (a range of 0.8-28.8% among the countries) in 2,495 women enrolled. Compared with ELISA in maternal blood samples, the Chagas Stat-Pak rapid test sensitivity and specificity in umbilical cord blood were 94.6% and 99.0%, respectively. These results show the ability for a rapid determination of the presence of T. cruzi-specific antibodies in umbilical cord blood as a pragmatic strategy to screen for infection in pregnant women.
Sosa-Estani
Sergio
S
Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria, Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigación de Endemoepidemias (CeNDIE) ANLIS Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán, Ministerio de Salud, Buenos Aires, Argentina. ssosa@msal.gov.ar
Gamboa-León
Miriam Rubi
MR
Del Cid-Lemus
Jaime
J
Althabe
Fernando
F
Alger
Jackeline
J
Almendares
Olivia
O
Cafferata
María L
ML
Chippaux
Jean-Philippe
JP
Dumonteil
Eric
E
Gibbons
Luz
L
Padilla-Raygoza
Nicolás
N
Schneider
Dominique
D
Belizán
José M
JM
Buekens
Pierre
P
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D001838:Bolivia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D006721:Honduras / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic