SERODISCORDANCIA EN EL DIAGNÓSTICO DE LA INFECCIÓN POR TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI EN ÁREA NO ENDÉMICA.

Abstract

Chagas disease is a parasitic zoonosis endemic in Latin America. However due to the migratory flows in the last decades, it has become a global concern. The serological diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection is based on the agreement of two different techniques used in parallel. This fact can lead, sometimes, to discordant results and when these results are persistent, the use of a third confirmatory technique is recommended._x000D_ The main objective of this Thesis is to know the prevalence of discrepant results in Latin American patients outside the endemic area, and to evaluate the performance of two different confirmatory techniques in this population group._x000D_ As a result of the present study it was possible to conclude that with the current screening techniques and following the diagnosis algorithm of the World Health Organization (WHO), a non-negligible percentage of patients without a clear diagnosis was found. According to our results, the use of a third technique confirms the infection in approximately half of the individuals with the implications that this entails. These findings highlight the need for the development of new diagnostic techniques sensitive and specific enough to be used alone, as well as the establishment of a confirmatory technique available in reference units inside and outside the endemic area.

Date of Award	10 Oct 2018
Original language	Spanish
Supervisor	Tomas Pumarola Suñe (Director) & Roser Fisa Saladrigas (Director)