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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Bioluminescence Imaging to Detect Late Stage Infection of African Trypanosomiasis
Published on: May 18, 2016
A CATT negative result after treatment for human African trypanosomiasis is no indication for cure
Veerle Lejon1, Dieudonné Mumba Ngoyi, Marleen Boelaert
1Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. vlejon@itg.be
Background:
Cure after treatment for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is assessed by examination of the cerebrospinal fluid every 6 months, for a total period of 2 years. So far, no markers for cure or treatment failure have been identified in blood. Trypanosome-specific antibodies are detectable in blood by the Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomiasis (CATT). We studied the value of a normalising, negative post-treatment CATT result in treated Trypanosoma brucei (T.b.) gambiense sleeping sickness patients as a marker of cure.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
The CATT/T.b. gambiense was performed on serum of a cohort of 360 T.b. gambiense patients, consisting of 242 primary and 118 retreatment cases. The CATT results during 2 years of post-treatment follow-up were studied in function of cure or treatment failure. At inclusion, sensitivity of CATT was 98% (234/238) in primary cases and only 78% (91/117) in retreatment cases. After treatment, the CATT titre decreased both in cured patients and in patients experiencing treatment failure.
Conclusions/Significance:
Though CATT is a good test to detect HAT in primary cases, a normalising or negative CATT result after treatment for HAT does not indicate cure, therefore CATT cannot be used to monitor treatment outcome.
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