Evaluation of the Elecsys Chagas Assay for Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi-Specific Antibodies in a Multicenter Study in Europe and Latin America.

Serology is the preferred method to confirm a Chagas disease diagnosis and to screen blood donors. A battery of assays is often required due to the limited accuracy of single assays. The Elecsys Chagas assay is a newly developed, double-antigen sandwich assay for use on the Elecsys and cobas e immunoassay analyzers, intended to identify individuals infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, for diagnosis and screening. The performance of the Elecsys Chagas assay was evaluated in comparison with those of other widely used T. cruzi antibody assays, at multiple sites (Europe/Latin America). Relative sensitivity and specificity were assessed by using samples from blood donors, pregnant women, and hospitalized patients from regions where Chagas disease is endemic and from regions of nonendemicity. The Elecsys Chagas assay had an overall relative sensitivity of 100% (n = 674). Overall relative specificities were 99.90% (n = 14,681), 100% (n = 313), and 100% (n = 517) for samples from blood donors, pregnant women, and hospitalized patients, respectively. The analytical specificity was 99.83% (n = 594). The Elecsys Chagas assay detected T. cruzi antibodies in two World Health Organization (WHO) standard T. cruzi reference panels (panels 09/188 and 09/186) at a 1:512 dilution, corresponding to a cutoff sensitivity of approximately 1 mIU/ml. The Elecsys Chagas assay demonstrated robust performance under routine conditions at multiple sites in Europe and Latin America. In contrast to other available Chagas assays, the Elecsys assay uses a reduced number of recombinant T. cruzi antigens, resulting in a significantly smaller number of cross-reactions and improved analytical specificity while being highly sensitive.

Fertilización IN VITRO; experiencia de tres años del grupo SER, en la Clínica Carlos Ardila Lülle / IN VITRO Fertilization: Three years of experience in SERïS group

Se presenta el estudio y análisis retrospectivo de 3 años de trabajo en Fertilización in vitro (IVF), del grupo SER, de la Clínica Carlos Ardila Lülle de Bucaramanga; durante los cuales realizaron 68 ciclos. Se establecen correlaciones entre la edad de la paciente, etiología de la infertilidad, número de ciclos realizados por paciente con el éxito reproductivo, encontrándose que las tasas de embarazo corresponden a un 24,56 por ciento, teniendo mayor probabilidad de éxitos aquellas parejas donde la infertilidad es inexplicada y en segundo término aquellas donde la causa de ésta es debida a factor anatómico diferente a endometriosis