[Comparative study of immunoenzyme technics, ELISA and on formed antigens, in the immunologic diagnosis of African trypanosomiasis].

The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the serodiagnosis of human african trypanosomiasis is described, comparatively with the immunoperoxidase technique using blood streamforms of Trypanosoma brucei as antigen. Practical aspects for measuring the amount of antibody in serum samples from infected rabbits and from patients with african sleeping sickness are discussed. ELISA does offer important advantages over the other method used namely: -- quantitative estimates are possible, -- it bends itself readily to large scale series, owing the fact that it can be fully automatic. These qualities will be turned to full account when the different classes of antibodies present in trypanosomiasis suffers can be examined by means of specific antigenic fractions.