AIMS To find out whether serology can reliably speciate human schistosomiasis using a simple enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. METHODS Stored sera from 66 patients with microscopically confirmed schistosomiasis were subjected to ELISA using a panel of three antigens, namely: unfractionated Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen (SEA); CEF6, a cationic fraction of SEA; and ...

Setaria equina (S. equina) is a filarial worm that exists in peritoneal cavity of equines. This study aimed to evaluate cytokine mediators tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses in spontaneously S. equina infected and non-infected donkeys with emphasis on choosing the best antigen that could be used in diagnosis of such filarial infection...

Quantitative computerized Western blot analysis of antibody responses during experimental canine Leishmania infantum infection distinguished between immunodominant and nonimmunodominant protein bands. Six infected beagles, positive by both PCR and parasite culture, were monitored over 75 weeks postinfection and during a 12-week allopurinol treatment course. All dogs were symptomatic at the time...

BACKGROUND Immunoglobulin A (IgA) in maternal milk may protect Gambian infants from early Helicobacter pylori colonization. This study sought evidence that this protection could be due to specific IgA antibodies. METHODS Sixty-five infants were screened from 12 weeks of age with [13C]-urea breath tests. Antibodies in maternal milk were measured to determine total IgA content and to detect spe...

The presence of common antigens between Plasmodium falciparum and Anopheles albimanus was demonstrated. Different groups of rabbits were immunized with: crude extract from female An. albimanus (EAaF), red blood cells infected with Plasmodium falciparum (EPfs), and the SPf66 synthetic malaria vaccine. The rabbit's polyclonal antibodies were evaluated by ELISA, Multiple Antigen Blot Assay (MABA),...

There is an expanding area of small molecule discovery, especially in the area of peptide mimetics. Peptide sequences can be used to substitute for the entire native antigen for use in diagnostic assays. Our approach is to select peptides that mimic epitopes of the natural immune response to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) that may be recognised by antibodies typically produced after infection with EB...

Two lethal toxins were isolated from Trimeresurus wagleri venom by fast protein liquid chromatography (molecular sieve) and high performance liquid chromatography (reverse phase). The toxins (termed peptide I and II) had mol. wt of 2504 and 2530, respectively, pIs of 9.6-9.9 and lacked phospholipase A, proteolytic, and hemolytic activity. Lethal peptide I had a murine i.p. LD50 of 0.369 mg/kg, ...

Human hybridomas were constructed which produce antibodies against three different extracts of Mycobacterium leprae. A thioguanine-resistant (Thgr), ouabain-resistant (Ouar), human lymphoblastoid cell line, KR-4, was hybridized with Epstein-Barr virus-transformed cell lines from lepromatous leprosy patients with fusion frequencies of greater than 10(-5). Non-Epstein-Barr virus-transformed donor...

BACKGROUND Sparganosis is a neglected but important food-borne parasitic zoonosis. Clinical diagnosis of sparganosis is difficult because there are no specific manifestations. ELISA using plerocercoid crude or excretory-secretory (ES) antigens has high sensitivity but has cross-reactions with other helminthiases. The aim of this study was to characterize Spirometra erinaceieuropaei cysteine pro...

BACKGROUND The overlapping geographical and socio-economic distribution of malaria and helminth infection has led to several studies investigating the immunological and pathological interactions of these parasites. This study focuses on the effect of treating schistosome infections on natural human immune responses directed against plasmodia merozoite surface proteins MSP-1 (DPKMWR, MSP1(19)), ...