Evaluation of the Elecsys Chagas Assay for Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi-Specific Antibodies in a Multicenter Study in Europe and Latin America.

Serology is the preferred method to confirm a Chagas disease diagnosis and to screen blood donors. A battery of assays is often required due to the limited accuracy of single assays. The Elecsys Chagas assay is a newly developed, double-antigen sandwich assay for use on the Elecsys and cobas e immunoassay analyzers, intended to identify individuals infected with , for diagnosis and screening.

Evaluation of Sensitivity and Specificity Performance of Elecsys HTLV-I/II Assay in a Multicenter Study in Europe and Japan.

Screening of blood for human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 and type 2 (HTLV-1 and -2, respectively) is important to diagnose and prevent infection and ensure the safety of blood supplies. The Elecsys HTLV-I/II assay is a newly developed, electrochemiluminescence screening assay for the detection of HTLV-1/2 infection. The sensitivity and specificity of the Elecsys HTLV-I/II assay were determined using well-characterized HTLV-1/2-positive serum and plasma samples and routine diagnostic and blood donor samples expected to be HTLV negative, respectively.

Establishment of a proficiency panel for an external quality assessment programme for the detection of bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates using rapid and cultural detection methods.

Background: Platelet concentrates (PCs) are the main focus regarding the residual risk of transfusion-transmitted bacterial infections. Rapid screening methods for bacterial detection in platelets have been optimized over the last decade, but their external evaluation represents a complicated process. We developed a new type of proficiency panel for bacterial detection in PCs using currently available screening methods (especially rapid methods) suitable for external quality assessment programmes (EQAP).