IMMUNODIAGNOSIS OF HUMAN SPARGANOSIS MANSONI BY MICRO-CHEMILUMINESCENCE ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY

We compared a microcolorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (col orimetric ELISA) and a micro-chemiluminescence enzyme-linked immunosor bent assay (chemiluminescence ELISA) for the detection of specific imm unoglobulin G (IgG) in the serum of 9 patients with sparganosis manson i and 9 healthy controls. The chemiluminescence ELISA was able to meas ure serum levels of specific IgG over a far wider range than the color imetric assay, and its detection limit was at least 10-fold lower. An additional 5 sera from sparganosis patients and 5 more from healthy co ntrols, together with sera from 28 patients with other parasitic disea ses, were also examined by the chemiluminescence ELISA. All 14 patient s with sparganosis mansoni showed high levels of chemiluminescence (21 302+/-18 907 counts per second [cps]). All sera from the 14 healthy c ontrols (1580+/-569 cpa) and sera from 27 of the 28 patients with othe r parasites (4 with taeniasis saginata [1767+/-501 cps], 11 with diphy llobothriasis latum [1479+/-501 cps], 13 with cysticercosis cellulosae [2376+/-1437 cps]) showed chemiluminescence levels lower than those o f any of the sparganosis mansoni patients. The exception was a patient with cysticercosis (5980 cps), who may have had a dual infection with Cysticercus cellulosae and Sparganum mansoni. Thus, the chemiluminesc ence ELISA demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for human spa rganosis mansoni.