Use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that utilizes the Tc13Tul antigen of Trypanosoma cruzi to monitor patients after treatment with benznidazole

Fil: Santamaría, Ana Lorena. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina.Fil: De Rissio, Ana María. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina.Fil: Riarte, Adelina. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina.Fil: Garavaglia, Patricia A. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina.Fil: Bruballa, Andrea Cecilia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina.Fil: Rodriguez, Marcelo. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.Fil: Irazu, Lucía . ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas; Argentina.Fil: Ruiz, Andrés Mariano. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina.Fil: García, Gabriela Andrea. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología; Argentina.Tc13Tul antigen is expressed in the mammalian stages of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease. Here, we designed and validated an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using the recombinant Tc13Tul (Tc13Tul-ELISA) and found that it had 82.5% sensitivity and 97.05% of specificity. To evaluate whether the decrease in antibodies against Tc13Tul may be used as an early marker of the effect of chemotherapy with benznidazole, sera from 30 T. cruzi-infected children were evaluated by Tc13Tul-ELISA before and after benznidazole treatment. While in Group A (6 months-4 years old, n = 16) the decrease of more than 30% of Tc13Tul-ELISA values showed a sensitivity similar to that of conventional serology (CS); in Group B, (5-12 years old, n = 14) the decrease of Tc13Tul-ELISA values was a better parameter than negativization of CS to monitor the impact of treatment. Therefore, the dosage of anti-Tc13Tul antibodies may be useful as a methodology complementary to CS to evaluate chagasic patients undergoing chemotherapy with benznidazole