The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new test to screen blood, tissue and organ donors for the Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) blood-borne parasite. Abbott Laboratories of Abbott Park, IL has manufactured the Abbott Prism Chagas test, to detect T. cruzi-which causes Chagas disease. According to the FDS, around 300,000 persons in the U.S. have been infected with Chagas.

The Center for Disease Control reports that Chagas disease is transmitted through contact with the blood-sucking triatomine bug, in addition to mother/baby contact, contaminated blood products or organ transplantation from an infected donor. The disease has an acute and a chronic phase and can be lifelong if left untreated. The disease may cause fever, inflammation of the heart muscle or brain, heart rhythm abnormalities, a dilated heart, esophagus or colon.

The Abbott test detects antibodies to T. cruzi in serum or plasma from whole blood donations and to screen organ donors when the donor's heart is still beating, as well as cadaveric donors. The test is automated and highly sensitive.

The FDA announcement can be accessed at: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm210429.htm

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