Antibodies to Fasciola hepatica antigens during experimental infections in cattle measured by ELISA.

Chromatography of a soluble PBS extract of adult Fasciola hepatica on Sephadex G200 produced 7 fractions, F1-F7. The antigenicity of these fractions varied with F1 being the most antigenic. Antibody responses to these fractions showed different time courses. Antibodies to F1, F2 and F3 appeared early on in infection and, for the most part, persisted throughout infection, whereas antibodies to F4, and F5 increased gradually during infection. A standardised assay was developed to measure anti-F1 antibodies. The assay was reproducible and able to detect antibodies by 3 weeks post-infection in experimentally-infected calves.