Medical Parasitology

Information regarding Chagas Disease (American trypanosomiasis) specimen submission

Guidance for submission of Chagas Disease specimens to CDC, through the DSHS Laboratory, is provided by the Zoonosis Control Branch.

This includes testing acceptance criteria for both Serology and PCR in humans, and testing in bugs. Call 512-776-2888.

• Laboratory Diagnosis in Humans - Information for Healthcare Providers
• Instructions and form for submitting bugs for identification and testing for T. cruz.

Chagas Serologic Screenings

Initial Chagas serologic screening is now being performed at the DSHS Austin Laboratory. All results will be reported back to the submitters. Serum specimens with positive, equivocal, and inconclusive results will be forwarded to the CDC for additional confirmatory testing.

Additional information about this testing service can be found at [Link to new Chagas IgG LTSM test page.

Providers can use a commercial laboratory for Chagas serologic screening. If testing is performed at a commercial laboratory, specimens with positive results must be submitted to DSHS for routing to CDC, where confirmatory testing will be performed. In cases where insufficient amount of the original specimen remains, providers should collect another specimen from the patient and submit it to DSHS. 

Note: Only serum specimens are forwarded to the CDC for confirmatory testing. Providers who submit plasma specimens to DSHS that return positive, equivocal, or inconclusive results must collect a serum specimen from the patient and submit it to DSHS for confirmatory testing at CDC. 

About Us

The Medical Parasitology Team processes and examines specimens (primarily fecal samples) to detect worms and protozoan parasite infections in humans. As the public health reference laboratory for the state of Texas, we coordinate with state and local epidemiologists and the CDC Laboratories. A major responsibility of the Parasitology Team is to examine specimens collected by the Refugee Health Program.