Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New protein test detects active Trypanosoma cruzi infection in dogs
By Floridia-Yapur, N et al.·Published in Parasitology·2016·Cá·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: The TcTASV proteins are novel promising antigens to detect active Trypanosoma cruzi infection in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs infected with the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, which causes Chagas disease, can be detected using a new test called Mix A+C-ELISA. This test looks for specific proteins in the dog's blood and was able to identify 94% of dogs with active infections. The results suggest that this test could be a simple and cost-effective way to screen dogs in areas where Chagas disease is common, helping to reduce the risk of spreading the parasite to humans.
People also search for: dog Chagas disease symptoms · how to test dog for Trypanosoma cruzi · dog infection blood test
Abstract
In regions where Chagas disease is endemic, canine Trypanosoma cruzi infection is highly correlated with the risk of transmission of the parasite to humans. Herein we evaluated the novel TcTASV protein family (subfamilies A, B, C), differentially expressed in bloodstream trypomastigotes, for the detection of naturally infected dogs. A gene of each TcTASV subfamily was cloned and expressed. Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were developed using recombinant antigens individually or mixed together. Our results showed that dogs with active T. cruzi infection differentially reacted against the TcTASV-C subfamily. The use of both TcTASV-C plus TcTASV-A proteins (Mix A+C-ELISA) enhanced the reactivity of sera from dogs with active infection, detecting 94% of the evaluated samples. These findings agree with our previous observations, where the infected animals exhibited a quick anti-TcTASV-C antibody response, coincident with the beginning of parasitaemia, in a murine model of the disease. Results obtained in the present work prove that the Mix A+C-ELISA is a specific, simple and cheap technique to be applied in endemic areas in screening studies. The Mix A+C-ELISA could help to differentially detect canine hosts with active infection and therefore with high impact in the risk of transmission to humans.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27173912/