Immunodiagnosis of fasciolosis in horses and pigs using Western blots

• Published in: International journal for parasitology 1997-11, Vol.27 (11), p.1429-1432
• Main Authors: Gorman, Texia, Aballay, Jimena, Fredes, Fernando, Silva, Marco, Aguillón, Juan Carlos, Alcaíno, Hector A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal helminthic diseases; Animals; Antibodies, Helminth - blood; antigens; Antigens, Helminth - immunology; Antigens, Helminth - isolation & purification; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western - methods; equine fasciolosis; Fasciola hepatica; Fascioliasis - diagnosis; Fascioliasis - veterinary; Fasciolosis; Helminth Proteins - immunology; Helminth Proteins - isolation & purification; Helminthic diseases; Horse Diseases - diagnosis; Horses; immunodiagnosis; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Parasitic diseases; Sensitivity and Specificity; Swine; Swine Diseases - diagnosis; swine fasciolosis; Western blot
• ISSN: 0020-7519; 1879-0135
• DOI: 10.1016/S0020-7519(97)00090-8

Crude and partially purified somatic (S) and excretory-secretory (ES) antigens of Fasciola hepatica were subjected to Western blot analysis in order to identify polypeptides that would enable specific and sensitive immunodiagnosis of horse and pig fasciolosis to be undertaken. Sera from 20 horses and 20 pigs with natural infections of F. hepatica and the same number of uninfected hosts of each species were tested, together with sera from 2 pigs with Cysticercus cellulosae infections. Using crude S antigens, sera from infected horses and pigs reacted specifically with a wide range of polypeptides of 14–19, 22–30, 35–37 and 42 kDa. Likewise, specific reactivity between polypeptides of 14–17, 22–30 and 40–42 kDa in crude ES antigens and sera from infected horses and pigs was obtained. Against the criteria of high sensitivity and specificity, the 22–30-kDa polypeptides would appear to be the most suitable candidate antigens for use in the immunodiagnosis of fasciolosis in horses and pigs.