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(Reference retrieved automatically from SciELO through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Efficacy of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as a diagnostic tool for schistosomiasis mansoni in individuals with low worm burden

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Author(s):
Edward José de Oliveira [1] ; Hermínia Yohko Kanamura [2] ; Dirce Mary Correia Lima [3]
Total Authors: 3
Affiliation:
[1] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas. Departamento de Análises Clínicas - Brasil
[2] Universidade de Taubaté. Departamento de Biologia - Brasil
[3] Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo. Laboratório de Investigação Médica (LIM06) - Brasil
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; v. 100, n. 4, p. 421-425, 2005-07-00.
Abstract

IgM-ELISA is an immunoenzymatic method useful for detection of IgM antibodies against a fraction of Schistosoma mansoni adult worm antigen (AWA) that is soluble in trichloroacetic acid (AWA-TCA). This method was applied to three groups of individuals with different clinical and epidemiological characteristics, and the results compared with those obtained by other diagnostic methods: immunofluorescence test for detection of IgM antibodies (IgM-IFT) or IgG antibodies (IgG-IFT), ELISA for detection of IgG antibodies (IgG-ELISA), and two parasitological methods, Kato-Katz and miracidium hatching. The IgM-ELISA presented a sensitivity of 98%, when the parasitologic fecal examination was defined as reference diagnostic method, and a specificity of 98 and 97.3%, respectively for the group of clinically healthy individuals and other helminth carriers. A comparative analysis between the results of IgM-ELISA and those obtained by other serologic tests showed a good degree of agreement, with Kappa indices ranging from 0.95 to 0.98. The diagnostic efficacy of 97.8%, as determined with schistosomiasis patients with low parasitic burden, suggests the excellent performance of the IgM-ELISA and its usefulness for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis when applied in low endemic areas. (AU)