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A Re-Evaluation of the Slide Flocculation Test for the Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis with Adult Worms as Antigen
Inge M. Hansen
Inge M. Hansen
Department of Epidemiology, School of Hygiene and Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
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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.
Author Notes
Present address: The Thomas A. Dooley Foundation, Box 225, Kathmandu, Nepal.
| Past two years | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 333 | 107 | 17 |
| Full Text Views | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| PDF Downloads | 2 | 2 | 0 |