MEASUREMENT OF ANTIBODY-RESPONSE TO KEYHOLE LIMPET HEMOCYANIN WAS NOTADEQUATE FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF SCHISTOSOMIASIS IN A GROUP OF DUTCH VISITORS TO MALI

The detection of antibodies against keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) ( extracted from Megathura crenulata) has been described as a reliable t ool for serological diagnosis of acute, but not chronic, schistosomias is. We evaluated the immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM anti-KLH enzyme-lin ked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the serological diagnosis of light schistosome infections and to follow response after treatment, using sera from a group of Dutch travellers returning from Mali with acute s chistosomiasis. Before chemotherapy, the sensitivities of the anti-KLH IgM and IgG ELISAs were 74% and 63%, respectively. In contrast, a sen sitivity of 100% was found with an immunofluorescence assay for determ ination of IgM antibodies against gut-associated glycoconjugates. Ther e was no significant difference in the anti-KLH response before, and o ne year after, therapy. These results indicate that, for travellers fr om non-endemic areas like The Netherlands with generally light schisto some infections, detection of antibody response against KLH is not a u seful tool for serodiagnosis of acute schistosomiasis.