Diagnosis of Congenital Chagas Disease Using an Iron Superoxide Dismutase Excreted as Antigen, in Mothers and Their Children During the First Year of Life

Background: Chagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi is endemic in Latin America. Human infection is mainly spread by Triatominae insects. Other forms of transmission are congenital, blood transfusion and organ transplantation. Methods: Anti-T. cruzi antibodies were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot (WB) in 155 serum samples from mothers and their babies. Indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) and a commercial test were used to validate efficacy of a specific ELISA–iron-excreted superoxide dismutase assay. Sera from babies were collected at 6 and 12 months, whereas maternal samples were obtained after delivery. Calostrum and umbilical cord samples were simultaneously obtained. Results: Anti-T. cruzi antibodies were detected in 8 (5.16%) mothers by ELISA-WB, in 7 (4.51%) using IFA and in 1 (0.64%) by a commercial kit. Nine (5.80%) 6-month-old children were positive by ELISA-WB and 7 (4.51%) by IFA; negative results were obtained when the commercial kit was used. At 12 month of age, 15 (9.67%) children were positive by ELISA-WB, 13 (8.38%) by IFA and 1 (0.64%) by the commercial test. Antibodies were detected in 4 mothers whose children were serologically negative. Four other mothers and their children were positive, but only one of them had detected antibodies in umbilical cord up to 12 months, thus assuming vertical transmission. Conclusions: The use of iron-excreted superoxide dismutase as antigen in serologic tests for detection of T. cruzi yielded promising results as diagnostic procedure.