Journal
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
Volume 7, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002054
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq)
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz)-Rene Rachou Research Center (CPqRR)
- Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Education Personnel (Capes)
- Council of the International Educational Exchange of Scholars (Fulbright, U.S. Department of State)
- NIH [AI156484, AI068109]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background: Schistosomiasis mansoni is a debilitating and sometimes fatal disease. Accurate diagnosis plays a key role in patient management and infection control. However, currently available parasitological methods are laborious and lack sensitivity. The selection of target antigen candidates has turned out to be a promising tool for the development of more sensitive diagnostic methods. In our previous investigations, the use of crude antigens led to false-positive results. Recently, focus has been given to highly purified Schistosoma mansoni antigens, especially to circulating antigens. Method: Thus, our main goal was to test different types of circulating cathodic antigen glycoprotein (CCA), as crude antigen, the protein chain of recombinant CCA and two individual peptides. These schistosome proteins/peptides were tested in a new diagnostic method employing immunomagnetic separation based on the improvement of antigen-antibody binding. Principal Findings: Use of recombinant CCA as a diagnostic antigen allowed us to develop a diagnostic assay with high sensitivity and specificity with no false-negative results. Interestingly, the crude antigen worked as a good marker for control of cure after praziquantel treatment. Conclusions/Significance: Our new diagnostic method was superior to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in diagnosing low endemicity patients.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available