A comparative study of four serological methods for diagnosis of acute and chronic Chagas' disease in Brazilian patients

Complement fixation (CF), indirect immunofluorescence (IFAT), latex agglutination (LA) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were applied to assess the diagnostic value of antibody determination in Brazilian patients with acute or chronic Chagas' disease. Patients with various forms...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTropical and geographical medicine Vol. 44; no. 3; p. 210
Main Authors Schattschneider, W, Lopes, E R, De Alencar, J E, Bienzle, U, Feldmeier, H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands 01.07.1992
Subjects
Acute Disease
Adolescent
Adult
Brazil
Chagas Disease - diagnosis
Child
Chronic Disease
Complement Fixation Tests
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Female
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Humans
Latex Fixation Tests
Male
Sensitivity and Specificity
Serologic Tests - methods
Brazil
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Summary:Complement fixation (CF), indirect immunofluorescence (IFAT), latex agglutination (LA) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were applied to assess the diagnostic value of antibody determination in Brazilian patients with acute or chronic Chagas' disease. Patients with various forms of leishmaniasis and healthy individuals from the endemic region were used as specificity controls. Whereas LA, IFAT and ELISA identified 81% of acutely ill patients, CF had no diagnostic potential in this phase of the disease. In later stages CF showed a sensitivity of 69% as compared to 100% for LA, IFAT and ELISA, irrespective whether patients presented clinically as chronic asymptomatic or chronic symptomatic cases. Cross-reactivity with anti-leishmania antibodies was observed in 23%, 38% and 77% of serum samples in LA, ELISA and IFAT, respectively, but not in CF.
ISSN:0041-3232