Western blot applied to the diagnosis and post-treatment monitoring of human hydatidosis.

The serologic diagnosis of hydatidosis (caused by Echinococcus granulosus) can be made by different techniques, although the lack of standardization of the antigens affects the sensitivity, specificity and concordance among the different tests. We have applied the Western-Blot (WB) technique, associated with a purified antigen from sheep hydatid fluid, at 60 samples of serum from 14 patients suffering echinococcosis in different bodily locations, monitored for 3 years. The WB test enabled the detection of antibodies in the pre-surgical samples for proteins of 12-14, 16, 20, 24-26, 34, 39 and 42 kDa in molecular weight in 15-96% of the patients. The combination involving 2 of the 3 proteins of 20, 39 and 42 kDa has made it possible to diagnose 100% of the cases. The antibodies specific to proteins 39 and 42 kDa disappeared in less than one year in the patients cured after surgery, while in patients with persistent or recurrent parasitism the bands present before surgery persisted or other new ones appeared. The WB with purified antigens proved to be highly useful in the diagnosis and post-surgical monitoring of hydatidosis patients. The antigen used is proposed as a standard antigen for the diagnosis and follow-up of pre- and postsurgical hydatidosis.