DIAGNOSIS OF ACTIVE PARAGONIMUS-WESTERMANI INFECTIONS WITH A MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY BASED ANTIGEN-DETECTION ASSAY

We evaluated the performance of Dot-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays designed to detect species- and stage-specific antigens of Paragonimu s westermani in sera with monoclonal antibodies as serodiagnostic test s for active paragonimiasis. Sera from all donors with parasitological ly confirmed infections with P. westermani contained adult worm antige ns, as did a high proportion of sera from persons suspected to be infe cted with this parasite. A smaller proportion of these sera also conta ined metacercarial stage-specific antigens. Sera from donors with othe r helminth infections, with confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis, or from healthy Chinese donors were nonreactive in the assay. Treatment of exp erimentally infected animals with praziquantel triggered a marked but transient increase in serum levels of adult P. westermani antigens, wh ich then gradually disappeared within the next two months. The results of our studies indicate that the antigen-detection assay we have deve loped is a highly specific and sensitive diagnostic test for active in fections with P. westermani.