PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (Jan 2012)

Comparison of Schistosoma mansoni soluble cercarial antigens and soluble egg antigens for serodiagnosing schistosome infections.

  • Huw Smith,
  • Mike Doenhoff,
  • Cara Aitken,
  • Wendi Bailey,
  • Minjun Ji,
  • Emily Dawson,
  • Henk Gilis,
  • Grant Spence,
  • Claire Alexander,
  • Tom van Gool

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001815
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 9
p. e1815

Abstract

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A Schistosoma mansoni cercarial antigen preparation (cercarial transformation fluid--SmCTF) was evaluated for detection of anti-schistosome antibodies in human sera in 4 collaborating laboratories. The performance of SmCTF was compared with that of S. mansoni egg antigens (SmSEA) in an indirect enzyme-immunoassay (ELISA) antigen assay, the latter being used routinely in 3 of the 4 participating laboratories to diagnose S. mansoni and S. haematobium infections. In the fourth laboratory the performance of SmCTF was compared with that of S. japonicum egg antigens (SjSEA) in ELISA for detection of anti-S. japonicum antibodies. In all 4 laboratories the results given by SmCTF in ELISA were very similar to those given by the antigen preparation routinely used in the respective laboratory to detect anti-schistosome antibodies in human infection sera. In so far as the ELISA results from SmCTF are thus so little different from those given by schistosome egg antigens and also cheaper to produce, the former is a potentially useful new diagnostic aid for schistosomiasis.