Comparison of conventional serology and PCR methods for the routine diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Diagnosing Neglected Tropical Diseases in HIV Coinfection

“…Thus, some authors indicate PCR as an ancillary diagnostic tool at this stage. 6,71 According to literature, the sensitivity of PCR in the chronic phase of Chagas disease is variable, and some studies have reported improvement in diagnostic sensitivity compared to serology and other diagnostic methods. 72 Regarding HIV patients, the use of PCR in the diagnosis of Chagas disease and monitoring of treatment efficacy is of paramount importance, as it is known that despite not completely eliminating the parasites, the treatment helps reduce the damage caused by the immune system in response to infection.…”

“…qPCR has been able to show the reactivation of the disease in these patients and also show that the chronic phase may have parasitemia levels similar to those in the acute phase of the disease. 55,71,72,74 A major issue concerning the use of PCR in the diagnosis of Chagas disease is the identification of the DTU involved, which requires the association of some tests for the identification, thus making analysis time consuming and costly.…”

Challenges and perspectives of Chagas disease: a review

“…The culture is analyzed for up to 180 days and the observation of flagellate forms of T. cruzi is defined as a positive result [58]. …”

Chagas disease in the 21st Century: a public health success or an emerging threat?

“…During the chronic stage of Chagas disease, diagnosis can be made serologically using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, indirect hemagglutination, indirect immunofluorescence, or immunochromatography to test for the presence of T. cruzi- specific immunoglobulin G (IgG). It is recommended that at least two different types of serological tests are used to analyze each potentially infected individual or sample, as notable heterogeneity has been observed among the results obtained using different testing methods, and because there is considerable risk of obtaining false positive results with individual tests due to cross-reactivity of anti- T. cruzi antibodies with antigens of closely related species of trypanosomatids [19, 41, 70, 81]. Thoroughly purifying antigenic preparations prior to analysis and selecting tests with the greatest specificity available can reduce the risk of obtaining false positive results with serological tests.…”