Serodiagnosis of human cysticercosis using a chromatofocused antigenic preparation of Taenia solium cysticerci in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Crude preparations of Taenia solium cysticerci were partially purified by a chromatofocusing procedure to obtain antigenic fractions that were shown to be active in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with known positive cysticercosis sera. Evaluation of this antigen in the ELISA serodiagnosis of human cysticercus infection showed an 80% detection of clinically typical cysticercosis patients from West New Guinea, and gave no false positive results in healthy control subjects from either Papua New Guinea or the USA. Cross-reactivity to sera from a panel of subjects with a variety of other parasitic infections was limited to convalescent sera from individuals with echinococcosis. Seroepidemiological screening of three selected tropical populations verified the presence of human cysticercus infection on Bali (Indonesia) and its absence on Guam (in the Mariana Islands) and on Mota Lava (in the Banks Islands of Vanuatu). The purified cysticercus antigen was more sensitive and more specific than crude cysticercus or whole worm preparations for the serodiagnosis of human cysticercosis.