Seroepidemiology of anti-Entamoeba histolytica antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the greater Tokyo area.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting antibody against Entamoeba histolytica was used in a survey to determine the prevalence of E. histolytica infection in the greater Tokyo area. Serum samples were collected from 1,869 randomly chosen, symptom-free volunteers (1,645 males and 224 females). Seventeen individuals (0.91%), 14 males and three females, had ELISA values that were interpreted as positive. The calculated histogram of the anti-E. histolytica IgG values, after logarithmic transformation of the original skewed values, revealed a normal (Gaussian) distribution. It was also found that the results of the ELISA were closely correlated with those obtained by an indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA).