The performance of laboratory tests in the management of a large outbreak of orally transmitted Chagas disease
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
; 107(7): 893-898, Nov. 2012. ilus, tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-656045
Responsible library:
BR1.1
ABSTRACT
Orally transmitted Chagas disease (ChD), which is a well-known entity in the Brazilian Amazon Region, was first documented in Venezuela in December 2007, when 103 people attending an urban public school in Caracas became infected by ingesting juice that was contaminated with Trypanosoma cruzi. The infection occurred 45-50 days prior to the initiation of the sampling performed in the current study. Parasitological methods were used to diagnose the first nine symptomatic patients; T. cruzi was found in all of them. However, because this outbreak was managed as a sudden emergency during Christmas time, we needed to rapidly evaluate 1,000 people at risk, so we decided to use conventional serology to detect specific IgM and IgG antibodies via ELISA as well as indirect haemagglutination, which produced positive test results for 9.1%, 11.9% and 9.9% of the individuals tested, respectively. In other more restricted patient groups, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provided more sensitive results (80.4%) than blood cultures (16.2%) and animal inoculations (11.6%). Although the classical diagnosis of acute ChD is mainly based on parasitological findings, highly sensitive and specific serological techniques can provide rapid results during large and severe outbreaks, as described herein. The use of these serological techniques allows prompt treatment of all individuals suspected of being infected, resulting in reduced rates of morbidity and mortality.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Health context:
Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas
/
SDG3 - Health and Well-Being
/
Neglected Diseases
/
SDG3 - Target 3.3 End transmission of communicable diseases
Health problem:
Goal 8: Outbreaks, emergencies and disasters
/
Target 3.3: End transmission of communicable diseases
/
Chagas Disease
/
Neglected Diseases
/
Chagas Disease
Database:
LILACS
Main subject:
Trypanosoma cruzi
/
Immunoglobulin G
/
Immunoglobulin M
/
Antibodies, Protozoan
/
Disease Outbreaks
/
Chagas Disease
Limits:
Adult
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Venezuela
Language:
English
Journal:
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
Journal subject:
Tropical Medicine
/
Parasitology
Year:
2012
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Venezuela
Institution/Affiliation country:
Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Salud/VE
/
Universidad Central de Venezuela/VE