Opisthorchis viverrini: relationships between egg counts, worms recovered and antibody levels within an endemic community in northeast Thailand

Three techniques for estimating the intensity of Opisthorchis viverrini infection in individuals from a Northeast Thai community are compared. Egg counts were determined using a quantitative formalin/ethyl acetate technique, worm burdens were estimated by expulsion chemotherapy and antibody levels w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Parasitology Vol. 102 Pt 2; p. 283
Main Authors:	Elkins, D B, Sithithaworn, P, Haswell-Elkins, M, Kaewkes, S, Awacharagan, P, Wongratanacheewin, S
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England 01-04-1991
Subjects:	Animals Antibodies, Helminth - blood Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Feces - parasitology Fertility Humans Immunoglobulin A - analysis Immunoglobulin G - analysis Opisthorchiasis - drug therapy Opisthorchiasis - parasitology Opisthorchis - growth & development Opisthorchis - immunology Opisthorchis - physiology Parasite Egg Count Praziquantel - therapeutic use Regression Analysis Thailand Thailand
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Summary:	Three techniques for estimating the intensity of Opisthorchis viverrini infection in individuals from a Northeast Thai community are compared. Egg counts were determined using a quantitative formalin/ethyl acetate technique, worm burdens were estimated by expulsion chemotherapy and antibody levels were measured by ELISA. Log-transformed worm and egg counts were closely correlated (r = 0.80), suggesting that both measurements provide good assessments of relative intensity of infection. However, no Opisthorchis worms were recovered from 34 people with high egg counts; probably due to problems with the expulsion technique in some individuals. Examination of egg production per fluke indicated that each fluke contributed an average of 180 eggs per gram (epg) of faeces and fecundity was negatively associated with total worm burden. Serum IgG levels correlated significantly with Opisthorchis egg count (r = 0.61) at two independent assessments. Although significant associations were observed between antibody levels and echinostome infection, analysis suggested that these reflected independent associations between these two variables and Opisthorchis infection and age. We conclude that all three measurements are useful for epidemiological studies.
ISSN:	0031-1820
DOI:	10.1017/S0031182000062600