P. Ramaprasad et Bc. Harinath, USE OF FRACTIONATED URINARY FILARIAL ANTIGEN IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF HUMAN FILARIASIS, Journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 98(1), 1995, pp. 35-40
Fractionated urinary filarial antigen UFA C2 has shown high antigenic
activity after absorption of urinary albumin present in the fraction.
As little as 500 ag (10(-18) g) of albumin absorbed UFA C2, labelled a
s UFA C2-A, was found to be sufficient to detect filarial antibody. St
ick enzyme immunoassay to assess the immunodiagnostic potential of UFA
C2-A indicated filarial IgG antibody in 89% of microfilaraemic (mf) c
ases, 84% of clinical filariasis and 7% of endemic normals. UFA C2-A w
as found to be present in circulation in active as well as clinical in
fections as observed by inhibition assay using UFA C2-A penicillinase
conjugate. Eighty-six per cent of mf, 50% of clinical cases and 6% of
endemic normal subjects revealed parasite antigen to UFA C2-A on furth
er serological analysis. None of the non-endemic normal sera showed th
e presence of filarial antibody/antigen to UFA C2-A. Furthermore, the
test to determine phosphorylcholine (PC) bearing epitopes in UFA C2-A
indicated no immunological reaction with anti-PC monoclonal antibody b
y avidin-biotin enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The highly
sensitive and more easily obtainable non-PC urinary filarial antigen,
UFA C2-A, is of great immunodiagnostic interest for lymphatic filarias
is.