- Microscopic examination fresh anticoagulated blood or buffy coat for motile trypomastigotes
- Thin and thick blood smears stained with Giemsa
- Morphology in blood trypomastigote rarely seen in chronic disease
- Large, subterminal or terminal kinetoplast
- Centrally located nucleus
- Undulating membrane
- Flagellum on anterior end
- 12 to 30 µm in length
- Typical "c" or "u" shape
CDC/ Dr. Mae Melvin Morphology in heart muscle
- Amastigote form difficult to distiguish from Leishmania spp.
- Large nucleus and rod-shaped kinetoplast
CDC/ Dr. A.J. Sulzer
Serological Diagnosis
- Indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test is available at CDC
- FDA-cleared commercial diagnostic enzyme immunoassay (EIA)
- Because there can be cross reactivity with Leishmania spp., two serological tests are performed to identify chronic infections
CDC DPDx
