Abstract

MOLINA-GARZA, Zinnia Judith; ROSALES-ENCINA, José Luis; GALAVIZ-SILVA, Lucio  and  MOLINA-GARZA, Daniel. Trypanosoma cruzi in triatomines from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Salud pública Méx [online]. 2007, vol.49, n.1, pp.37-44. ISSN 0036-3634.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi in triatomines from Nuevo León using the standardization of an improved enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July to September 2005, 52 triatomines were captured in General Terán, a municipality located in Nuevo León. They were analyzed using optical microscopy (OM) and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as standards of reference, to develop a technique for detecting the parasite using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Using OM and PCR, 31 triatomines were found to be positive and 21 negative. Using ELISA, 27 samples were identified as positive and 25 negative (specificity 100%, sensitivity 87%, negative predictive value 84%, and positive predictive value 100%). The prevalence of infected triatomines was 59.61% with OM and PCR, and 51.92% with ELISA. Our data confirm that the ELISA assay in triatomines is a fast, reliable and useful tool. CONCLUSIONS: Since it was possible to simultaneously analyze a large number of samples with high sensibility and specificity values, the ELISA test proves to be useful for new epidemiologic studies having a high number of vectors. It is also less expensive than PCR. It is therefore recommended for epidemiological and preventive surveillance programs as a first screening test before conducting a confirmatory test using PCR.

Keywords : Trypanosoma cruzi; Triatoma gerstaeckeri; ELISA; PCR; Nuevo Leon; Mexico.

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