Abstract: Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT; also termed as sleeping sickness) is a parasitic disease caused by African trypanosomes belonging to the genus Trypanosoma, species brucei. Diagnosis usually involves screening of populations using serological tests, confirmation of infection by parasitological demonstration of trypanosomes in body fluids, and subsequent staging of the disease which ultimately determines the treatment to be administered. This means that diagnosis should be both accurate and timely. Diagnosis is however limited by lack of specific, accurate and field applicable tools. This review focuses on the currently applied serological tests for diagnosis of sleeping sickness, highlighting their merits and limitations, and discuses the emerging advances in the serodiagnosis of this neglected tropical disease. Improved diagnostic tools specific for HAT will certainly contribute towards the successful elimination of the disease from sub-Saharan Africa
Keywords: Trypanosomiasis, serodiagnosis, antigen, antibody, sensitivity, specificity.
Title: Antibody-Antigen Detection Tests for Sleeping Sickness Diagnosis: Are There Opportunities For Advancement?
Author: Simon Ngao Mule, Louis Allan Okwaro
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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