Evaluation of an EDTA version of CATT/Trypanosoma brucei gambiense for serological screening of human blood samples.

CATT/Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, a direct card agglutination test designed for field surveys on human African trypanosomosis, is currently used with freshly collected heparinized blood samples. When testing serum samples, it has been observed earlier that, at lower sample dilutions, a complement-mediated inhibition phenomenon may cause false negative test results. This can be avoided by adding an anticomplementary agent such as di-sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate dihydrate (EDTA) to the reaction.

Follow-up of Card Agglutination Trypanosomiasis Test (CATT) positive but apparently aparasitaemic individuals in Côte d'Ivoire: evidence for a complex and heterogeneous population.

The aetiological diagnosis of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is based on the detection of the parasite, but currently available parasitological tests have low sensitivity and are hampered by fluctuating parasitaemia. The identification of seropositive individuals on whom to focus parasitological examination is based on antibody detection by means of the Card Agglutination Trypanosomiasis Test (CATT/T.b.

Comparative in vitro isolation of Trypanosoma theileri from cattle in Belgium.

Ten blood samples randomly collected from cows on a farm nearby Antwerp, Belgium, were inoculated into KIVI culture medium (Kit for In Vitro Isolation of trypanosomes) and RPMI 10%+feeder medium. Within 3 weeks of incubation all KIVI cultures and four RPMI 10%+feeder revealed presence of Trypanosoma theileri. Some practical implications regarding the use of KIVI for isolation of pathogenic African trypanosomes from cattle and other Bovidae are discussed.

Improved latex agglutination test for detection of antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense infected patients.

A rapid latex agglutination test (LATEX/T. b. gambiense) for detection of antibodies in patients infected with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is presented.

Human African trypanosomiasis: a latex agglutination field test for quantifying IgM in cerebrospinal fluid.

LATEX/IgM, a rapid agglutination test for the semi-quantitative detection of IgM in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with African trypanosomiasis, is described in this article. The lyophilized reagent has been designed for field use and remains stable at 45 degrees C for one year. The test has been evaluated on cerebrospinal fluid samples from trypanosome-infected and non-infected patients, by comparison with commercial latex agglutination, radial immunodiffusion, and nephelometry.