PREVALENCE OF ANTI-TAENIA SOLIUM ANTIBODIES IN SERA FROM OUTPATIENTS IN AN ANDEAN REGION OF ECUADOR

Sera from 9, 254 individuals that presented at one of three outpatient clinics in Quito, Ecuador were assayed by indirect hemagglutination f or the presence of antibodies reactive with antigens from Taenia soliu m cysts. Immunoblot analysis of 81 selected sera with IHA titers rangi ng from 0 to 1, 028 showed that a titer of greater than or equal to 32 was suggestive of exposure to the parasite. Nine percent (9%) of the 9, 254 patients had titers of 32 or greater Of 3,503 sera from one cli nic, which included sera from food handlers undergoing yearly physical s, 390 (11%) were positive. In addition, a correlation with age was se en in some, but not all, populations. In situations where age-related effects were noted, the highest incidence was seen in the youngest (0- 20 years) and in the oldest (51-60 years) group. Thus, a resurgence of infection after a period of lower prevalence may be developing. Overa ll, this study shows that cysticercosis is relatively common and poten tially a serious health problem in this region.