AJTMH Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 25(3), 1976, pp. 422-426
Copyright © 1976 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hansen, I. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hansen, I. M.

A Re-Evaluation of the Slide Flocculation Test for the Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis with Adult Worms as Antigen*

Inge M. Hansen{dagger}
Department of Epidemiology, School of Hygiene and Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205

The present study was conducted to determine whether extracts from adult Schistosoma mansoni could be coated onto cholesterol-lecithin crystals. Of particular interest was the use of stunted schistosomes (SS) recovered from rabbits. The reactions obtained with this antigen in the slide flocculation (SF) test were compared with those employing antigens from cercariae and mature adult worms. The stunted schistosome SF test (SFSS) showed high sensitivity and specificity while cercarial antigen showed extensive cross reactions with Trichinella spiralis, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Echinococcus granulosus antisera. Both SS and cercarial antigens reacted with syphilitic sera, but the former only with high titer sera. The antigen from mature adult worms could not be coated onto cholesterol crystals, a finding which is in agreement with previous investigations. The relative simplicity of the SFSS test and its apparent high sensitivity and specificity indicates that the test may be an ideal epidemiological tool for schistosomiasis surveys. The results obtained should encourage additional study of the procedure involved and investigation into the role of lipids in flocculation tests. In addition, the findings should stimulate immunological studies of the stunted schistosomes.

Accepted for publication July 9, 1975.


* This work was undertaken in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Health Science.

Address reprint requests to: Department of Epidemiology, School of Hygiene and Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.


{dagger} Present address: The Thomas A. Dooley Foundation, Box 225, Kathmandu, Nepal.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1976 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.