The immunoenzymatic assay (Elisa) in the pericardial fluid: a new method for the post-mortem diagnosis of Chagas'disease. The immunoenzymatic assay (Elisa) was made in parallel with the immuno-fluorescence reaction, for the detection of anti-Trypanosona cruzi antibodies in 137 samples of human pericardial fluids, collected at necropsy. The results were compared with those of anatomopathological exams. We observed that: (1) the two tests were positive in 30 cases and were negative in 105 ones; (2) the Elisa test was positive in 2 cases in which the immunofluorescence was negative; in one of them we found morphological evidences of Chagas' disease; (3) the geometric mean of titles with Elisa was statistically superior to that obtained with immunofluorescence test; (4) the rate of concordance between the two tests was 0.985. This appears to be the first published report about the use of immunoenzymatic assay in the pericardial fluid for the post-mortem diagnosis of Chagas' disease.
Elisa; Immunoenzymatic test; Pericardial fluid; Chagas' disease