Appraisal of snakebite incidence and mortality in Bolivia.

No information has been yet published on snakebite in Bolivia. The country includes very different ecological situations leading to various epidemiological risks. A study has been carried out to evaluate the incidence and location of snakebite, particularly in relation with altitude, in order to improve management.

Evaluation of compliance to congenital Chagas disease treatment: results of a randomised trial in Bolivia.

Background: A randomised, unblinded, clinical trial comparing two benznidazole regimens for congenital Chagas disease was carried out to determine whether simplification and reduction in the length of treatment could lead to better treatment compliance.

Methods: This study was conducted in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Serological screening was carried out in pregnant women, and parasites were sought in the blood of newborns from seropositive mothers.

Antibody drop in newborns congenitally infected by Trypanosoma cruzi treated with benznidazole.

Objective: To compare the drop of Chagas antibody titres between non-infected and congenitally infected newborns treated by two doses of benznidazole, aiming at evaluating the recovery time and giving recommendations regarding serological criteria of recovery.

Methods: During a clinical trial, the drop of Trypanosoma cruzi antibody titres measured by ELISA tests was followed during the first year of life in congenitally infected newborns treated with different doses of benznidazole and compared to T. cruzi antibody titres in non-parasitaemic newborns.

Sensitivity and specificity of Chagas Stat-Pak test in Bolivia.

Objective: To compare the results of an immunochromatographic test performed on whole blood, Chagas Stat-Pak, with those of an ELISA test using recombinant antigens.

Method: We tested 995 subjects of a rural population of all ages in the south of Bolivia, 459 pregnant women of the same population and 1030 urban women giving birth from the east of Bolivia.

Results: The sensitivity of the CSP test for the entire studied population (n = 2484) was 94.

Epidemiological evaluation of Chagas disease in a rural area of southern Bolivia.

We evaluated the prevalence of Chagas disease using a rapid screening test (Chagas Stat-Pak), confirmed by ELISA, in Caraparí, a village of 9000 inhabitants in southern Bolivian Chaco. The prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi was estimated in a sample of 995 people. The prevalence adjusted on age was 51.