Comparative evaluation of different immunoassays for the detection of Taenia solium cysticercosis in swine with low parasite burden

• Published in: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Vol. 102; no. 6; pp. 725 - 731
• Main Authors: Gomes, Andréia Bartachini, Soares, Killarney Ataíde, Bueno, Ednéia Casagrande, Espindola, Noeli Maria, Iha, Alberto Hiroshi, Maia, Antônio Augusto Mendes, Peralta, Regina Helena Saramargo, Vaz, Adelaide José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz 01-09-2007; Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Helminth - blood; Antigens, Helminth - blood; Cysticercosis - diagnosis; Cysticercosis - immunology; Cysticercosis - parasitology; Cysticercosis - veterinary; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Immunoblotting; PARASITOLOGY; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Swine; swine cysticercosis - larval antigens - antibodies - enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - immunoblot; Swine Diseases - diagnosis; Swine Diseases - immunology; Swine Diseases - parasitology; Taenia solium - immunology; Taenia solium - isolation & purification; TROPICAL MEDICINE; swine cysticercosis; larval antigens; antibodies; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; immunoblot
• ISSN: 1678-8060; 0074-0276; 1678-8060
• DOI: 10.1590/S0074-02762007005000085

Seven swine were experimentally infected with Taenia solium eggs and
blood samples from each animal were periodically collected. At the end
of the experiment (t140) the animals did not show clinical aspects of
cysticercosis or parasites in tongue inspection. All animals were
slaughtered and cut into thin slices in searching for cysts. The number
of cysts found in each animal varied from 1 to 85. Enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests for antibody (Ab) detection and for
antigen (Ag) detection were performed, which presented respectively 71
and 57% of positivity. By immunoblot (IB), using 18/14(T. crassiceps
Ag) or lentil-lectin-purified glycoproteins from T. solium Ag (LLGP) as
Ag, five (71%) and six (86%) animals were positive, respectively. The
association between Ag-ELISA with any IB (18/14 or LLGP) allowed the
detection of all animals at 140 days post-experimental infection (days
p.e.i.). The use of IB 18/14 combined to the Ag-ELISA allowed the
detection of all animals since 70 days p.e.i., and the association
between IB LLGP and Ag-ELISA allowed the detection of all animals since
112 days p.e.i. While all animals could be considered healthy by
conventional screening tests, the use of immunoassays for detecting Ab
and Ag showed better accuracy; therefore it would be more useful than
usual clinical examination for screening cysticercosis in slightly
infected pigs.