[Utility of an immunochromatographic test for Chagas disease screening in primary healthcare]

Abstract

Introduction: Chagas disease is a common condition among Latin American immigrants living in Spain.

Material and methods: An immunochromatographic test was used for Chagas disease screening in 148 patients from Latin America and the results were compared with those of 2 ELISA techniques.

Results: The test had a sensitivity of 92.5%, a specificity of 96.8%, and a coefficient of agreement with the 2 ELISA techniques of 0.9.

Conclusions: The specificity of the test assayed suffices for Chagas disease screening, but the sensitivity needs to be improved before it can be used for this purpose.