ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2017
Rapid diagnostic tests duo as alternative to conventional serological assays for conclusive Chagas disease diagnosis.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Rapid diagnostic tests and ELISA for diagnosing chronic Chagas disease: Systematic revision and meta-analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Pooled it
- Rapid immunochromatographic tests for the diagnosis of chronic Chagas disease in at-risk populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2019Pooled it
- From delay to action: rethinking Chagas disease diagnosis with rapid testing in Colombia.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Comparison of Cobas Plasma Separation Cards and Whatman filter paper cards versus conventional serum samples for anti-Trypansoma cruzi antibody detection.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Screening strategies for Chagas Disease: evaluation of a field diagnostic algorithm in Santiago del EsteroRevista de la Facultad de Ciencias Medicas (Cordoba, Argentina) · 2026Article
- Epitope mapping and conservation of antigens from the Multi-Cruzi immunoassay platform.Medical microbiology and immunology · 2026Article
- Diagnostic methods for protozoan diseases: a review focused on leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and malaria.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Towards new care strategies in a suburban healthcare center in La Matanza, Argentina: performance evaluation of rapid diagnostic tests for Chagas disease in a non-endemic area.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- Bridging the gap in Chagas disease management: a mixed-methods study using an implementation science approach within the Brazilian primary health care system-'Implementa-Chagas/SaMi-Trop project'.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2025Article
- Identification of highly conservedEmerging microbes & infections · 2024Article
- Diversity of Chagas disease diagnostic antigens: Successes and limitations.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Review
- Oral Chagas disease outbreak by bacaba juice ingestion: A century after Carlos Chagas' discovery, the disease is still hard to manage.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Retrospect, advances and challenges in Chagas disease diagnosis: a comprehensive review.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2024Review
- A guide for the generation of repositories of clinical samples for research on Chagas disease.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- The use of rapid diagnostic tests for chronic Chagas disease: An expert meeting report.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Review
- Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Pregnancies without Congenital Transmission Is Associated with Reduced Fetal Growth: A Cross-Sectional Study in Argentina, Honduras, and Mexico.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024Article
- Comparative evaluation of lateral flow assays to diagnose chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Bolivia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Comparative evaluation of four rapid diagnostic tests that detect human Trypanosoma cruzi-specific antibodies to support diagnosis of Chagas Disease in urban population of Argentina.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Article
- Laboratory evaluation of eleven rapid diagnostic tests for serological diagnosis of Chagas disease in Colombia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It affects several million people, mainly in Latin America, and severe cardiac and/or digestive complications occur in ~30% of the chronically infected patients. Disease acute stage is mostly asymptomatic and infection goes undiagnosed. In the chronic phase direct parasite detection is hampered due to its concealed presence and diagnosis is achieved by serological methods, like ELISA or indirect hemagglutination assays. Agreement in at least two tests must be obtained due to parasite wide antigenic variability. These techniques require equipped labs and trained personnel and are not available in distant regions. As a result, many infected people often remain undiagnosed until it is too late, as the two available chemotherapies show diminished efficacy in the advanced chronic stage. Easy-to-use rapid diagnostic tests have been developed to be implemented in remote areas as an alternative to conventional tests. They do not need electricity, nor cold chain, they can return results within an hour and some even work with whole blood as sample, like Chagas Stat-Pak (ChemBio Inc.) and Chagas Detect Plus (InBIOS Inc.). Nonetheless, in order to qualify a rapidly diagnosed positive patient for treatment, conventional serological confirmation is obligatory, which might risk its start. In this study two rapid tests based on distinct antigen sets were used in parallel as a way to obtain a fast and conclusive Chagas disease diagnosis using whole blood samples. Chagas Stat-Pak and Chagas Detect Plus were validated by comparison with three conventional tests yielding 100% sensitivity and 99.3% specificity over 342 patients seeking Chagas disease diagnosis in a reference centre in Sucre (Bolivia). Combined used of RDTs in distant regions could substitute laborious conventional serology, allowing immediate treatment and favouring better adhesion to it.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.