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Journal Article
|Commentary

International meeting: new diagnostic tests are urgently needed to treat patients with Chaga's disease

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International meeting: new diagnostic tests are urgently needed to treat patients with Chaga's disease | Journal Article / Commentary | MSF Science Portal
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi infection is often not detected early on or actively diagnosed, partly because most infected individuals are either asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic. Moreover, in most places, neither blood banks nor healthcare units offer diagnostic confirmation or treatment access. By the time patients present clinical manifestations of advanced chronic Chagas disease, specific treatment with current drugs usually has limited effectiveness. Better-quality serological assays are urgently needed, especially rapid diagnostic tests for diagnosis patients in both acute and chronic phases, as well as for confirming that a parasitological cure has been achieved. Some new antigen combinations look promising and it is important to assess which ones are potentially the best, together with their requirements in terms of investigation and development. In August 2007, a group of specialized researchers and healthcare professionals met to discuss the state of Chagas infection diagnosis and to build a consensus for a plan of action to develop efficient, affordable, accessible and easy-to-use diagnostic tests for Chagas disease. This technical report presents the conclusions from that meeting.

Trypanosoma cruzi; Chagas infection; Rapid diagnostic tests; Serology; Chagas disease

Countries

Brazil

Subject Area

diagnosticsChagas disease

Languages

English
DOI
10.1590/s0037-86822008000300020
Published Date
01 Jun 2007
PubMed ID
18719818
Journal
Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Volume | Issue | Pages
Volume 41, Issue 3, Pages 315-319
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