Novel and efficient Chagas disease diagnostic assay

Thisinvention is highly sensitive and efficient array-based, T. cruzi-specific serological assay. Chagasdisease, caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a lifelong health problem in Central andSouth America, where an estimated 18 million people are infected with thisparasite and 100 million are at risk of infection. T. cruzi is known to also be pathogenic in over 100 mammal speciesother than humans, including dogs, cats and rodents, and the infection can betransmitted from these animals to humans.  To date, mostChagas’ Disease diagnosis is done either by blood smear techniques or byinaccurate serological assays, which very often lead to false negatives,precluding medical intervention at the early stages of Chagas’, and very ofteneven at more advantage stages of onset and facilitating adventitious infectionthrough transfusions and transplant.

USA