Sa. Tawill et al., IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC STUDIES ON ONCHOCERCA-VOLVULUS AND MANSONELLA PERSTANS INFECTIONS USING A RECOMBINANT 33-KDA ONCHOCERCA-VOLVULUS PROTEIN (OV33), Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 89(1), 1995, pp. 51-54
Citations number
15
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Tropical Medicine
A total detergent-soluble extract of adult female Onchocerca volvulus
(OvAg) and a recombinant O. volvulus protein (Ov33) linked to glutathi
one-S-transferase (GST) were compared with regard to their serodiagnos
tic suitability for differentiating between O. volvulus and Mansonella
perstans infections in a region endemic for both filarial worms in we
stern Uganda. Using OvAg in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELIS
A), 98.8% sensitivity was obtained examining 84 O. volvulus microfilar
iae (mf) carriers living in the hyperendemic area. However, 5 of 18 (2
8%) sera from M. perstans mf carriers without O. volvulus mf, from ano
ther area hypoendemic for O. volvulus, cross-reacted with OvAg. Using
the recombinant antigen Ov33-GST in an ELISA and Western blot assay, s
ensitivity for O. volvulus remained high (97.2% and 98.8% respectively
) while none of 90 sera from M. perstans mf carriers reacted positivel
y. Both antigens were used to examine a batch of sera from 260 persons
living in the onchocerciasis hyperendemic area who did not have mf in
their skin snips (9.5% of 2728 persons examined); 116 of these sera (
44.6%) were positive in the OvAg ELISA, compared to 85 (32.7%) and 69
(26.5%) which were positive in Ov33-GST ELISA and Ov33-GST Western blo
t, respectively. Reaction with GST alone was minimal. The recombinant
antigen Ov33 efficiently differentiates between O. volvulus and M, per
stans infections, and is sensitive when used to detect patent and prep
atent or low-level O. volvulus infections.