[Evaluation of commercially available reagents for diagnosis of chagas disease in Chilean blood banks. I. Selection of reagents].

Infection with T cruzi through blood transfusion is an important public health problem in Latin America, including Chile. A study on the sensitivity, specificity and applicability of currently applied methods was performed. Ten commercially available products were tested in a panel of 180 blood specimens against the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and the immunoperoxidase test (IP). Qualitative concordance ranged from 82 to 98%, sensitivity from 64 to 97% and specificity from 93 to 100%. Some commercial products had a low performance and ELISA is recommended for routine use in Chilean blood banks, given its significantly higher sensitivity and specificity when compared to the hemagglutination test. In addition, experience with the use of the ELISA test is widespread in Chile.