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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 79(5), 2008, pp. 768-770
Copyright © 2008 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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SHORT REPORT


Polymerase Chain Reaction for Chronic Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Yields Higher Sensitivity in Blood Clot Than Buffy Coat or Whole Blood Specimens

Sean Fitzwater, Maritza Calderon, Carlos LaFuente, Gerson Galdos-Cardenas, Lisbeth Ferrufino, Manuela Verastegui, Robert H. Gilman, Caryn Bern* for the Chagas Disease Working Group in Peru and Bolivia
Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru; Hospital Universitario Japonés, Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Asociación Benéfica Proyectos en Informática, Salud, Medicina y Agricultura, Lima, Perú; Division of Parasitic Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

 

ABSTRACT

Trypanosoma cruzi polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is widely used, but sensitivity varies widely. We compared PCR using 121/122 primers targeting kinetoplast minicircle DNA in whole blood, buffy coat, and clot from Bolivian women. Sensitivity was significantly higher in clot (60.1%) than buffy coat (46.5%) or whole blood (40%). The use of clot could simplify specimen collection while improving sensitivity.

Received May 20, 2008. Accepted for publication July 17, 2008.

Acknowledgments: The Chagas Disease Working Group in Peru and Bolivia includes Susan Espetia Anco, Elizabeth Chavez, Viviana Pinedo Cancino, Elizabeth de La Fuente, Michael Levy, Lilia Cabrera, Hugo Aparicio, Mark Brady, Faustino Torrico, Daniel Lozano, and James H. Maguire. The authors thank John Williamson for statistical support.

Financial support: This work was supported by NIH Global Research Training Grant 3 D43 TW006581, NIH Training Grant in Infectious and Tropical Diseases 5 T35 AI065385, and NIH 1R21 AI072093-01.

Disclaimer: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

* Address correspondence to Caryn Bern, Division of Parasitic Diseases, MS F-22, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341. E-mail: CBern{at}cdc.gov

Authors’ addresses: Sean Fitzwater, Gerson Galdos-Cardenas, and Robert H. Gilman, Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 20215. Maritza Calderon and Manuela Verastegui, Laboratory de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofia, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Av. Honorio Delgado 430, San Martin de Porres, Lima, Perú. Carlos LaFuente and Lisbeth Ferrufino, Hospital Universitário Japones, Avenida Japon, 3er Anillo, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Caryn Bern, Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, E-mail: CBern{at}cdc.gov.






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