Comparative study between artificial xenodiagnosis performed immediately and four hours after venous punch

Abstract

Artificial xenodiagnosis was performed immediately after blood venous punch and then four hours later on 63 patients; 29 (46%) were male and 34 (54%) female, mean age 39 years (range 18 to 68 years). Eleven (17.5%) patients presented positive exams, of which eight (12.7%) were from immediate xenodiagnosis and 7 (11.1%) xenodiagnosis fours hours after. Eight patients showed 17 positive pools from immediate xenodiagnosis and 7 patients with xenodiagnosis four hours later showed 11 positive pools (p = 0.34). Four patients were positive only on immediate xenodiagnosis, three only on xenodiagnosis 4 hours after and four were positive in both. The data demonstrate that xenodiagnosis can be performed up to four hours after blood collection without impairing the test results.

Artificial xenodiagnosis; Xenodiagnosis; Parasitological diagnosis; Chagas'disease