A new method for diagnosis of Chagas' disease: diffusion-in-gel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

The diffusion-in-gel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DIG-ELISA) for antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi was evaluated using formalinized epimastigotes as antigen. The results obtained by DIG-ELISA were compared with those obtained with the indirect hemagglutination test. The results of the DIG-ELISA showed that the reaction zone diameters obtained with sera from individuals with past or present exposure to T. cruzi were significantly greater than those obtained with normal human sera. All the sera from Chagasic individuals had a positive reaction in the test, whereas sera from normal individuals and individuals with toxoplasmosis or cutaneous leishmaniasis had a negative result. A close correlation was observed between the reaction zone diameters and antibody concentration (expressed as log2 of the serum dilution). Excellent correlation was observed between results obtained by the 2 serological tests. The data suggest that the DIG-ELISA is a promising serological test for measuring antibodies to T. cruzi.