AJTMH ASTMH Job Mart
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 33(3), 1984, pp. 425-430
Copyright © 1984 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 Weil, G. J.
Right arrow Articles by Powers, K. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Weil, G. J.
Right arrow Articles by Powers, K. G.

Detection of Circulating Parasite Antigens in Canine Dirofilariasis by Counterimmunoelectrophoresis*

Gary J. Weil{dagger}, Michelle S. Malane{dagger} AND Kendall G. Powers{ddagger}
The{dagger} Jewish Hospital of St. Louis and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
{ddagger} National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20205

Circulating Dirofilaria immitis antigen was detected in sera from 24 of 24 infected dogs by counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE). Parasite antigen was not detected in sera from uninfected dogs or dogs with Dipetalonema reconditum infection. In experimentally infected dogs, the antigen was first detectable 6.5–8.5 months after infection. Preliminary evidence suggests that the antigen is present in male and female adult worms but not in microfilariae. Sera from dogs with microfilaremic and amicrofilaremic infections contained statistically equivalent amounts of D. immitis antigen. However, a significant correlation was observed between serum parasite antigen content and the number of adult worms present in individual dogs at necropsy. Previous studies from several laboratories have shown that microfilarial counts and serum antibody titers are not related to adult worm counts in canine dirofilariasis or other filarial infections. Thus, CIE detection of D. immitis antigenemia represents a significant improvement over previously available diagnostic techniques because it is more sensitive than microfilarial tests, more specific than antibody tests, and the only test that has been related to infection intensity.

Accepted for publication October 7, 1983.


* Address reprint requests to: Gary J. Weil, M. D., The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, 216 S. Kingshighway, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1984 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.