Relación de técnicas inmunológicas y moleculares para el diagnóstico de enfermedad de chagas en la fase aguda y crónica

Abstract

Chagas disease is a parasitemia caused by the protozoa Trypanosoma Cruzi, which develops in two clinical phases; for proper diagnosis, the stage through the patient should be determined and parasitary tests performed; these can be molecular or immunological. This work describes the relationship between PCR molecular tests and immunological tests (ELISA, IFI, HAI) for the diagnosis of Chagas disease and preventing the evolution of infection. The quantitative PCR method is used to amplify the DNA and identification of the Trypanosoma Cruzi parasite. The qualitative method of IGG antibodies was used for immunoassay testing to identify antigens antibodies to the disease. Immunological techniques are compared with molecular techniques in the phases of Chagas disease, resulting in immune tests being more effective in the chronic phase and molecular PCR testing is more accurate in the acute phase. It is concluded that PCR is the most suitable in the acute phase, because there is a parasitic increase in the bloodstream and in the chronic phase parasitemia usually decreases therefore the immune tests are more accurate.