Development of a serologic assay to detect Taenia solium taeniasis

We developed a serologic assay to identify adult Taenia solium tapeworm car riers using excretory/secretory (TSES) antigens collected from irt vitro cu ltured T. solium tapeworms. To identify taeniasis-specific antigens we used an imnunoblot assay with serum samples from T. solium tapeworm carriers an d cysticercosis patients. Antigens were identified that reacted with antibo dies present in serum samples from taeniasis cases and not with those from cysticercosis patients. Using serum samples collected from persons with con firmed T. solium tapeworm infections, the test was determined to be 95% (69 of 73) sensitive. Serum samples (n = 193) from persons with other parasiti c infections, including T. saginata tapeworm infections, do not contain cro ss-reacting antibodies to TSES, indicating that the assay is 100% specific. These data suggest that the immunoblot assay using TSES antigens can be us ed to identify persons with current or recent T. solium tapeworm infections and provides a new, important tool for epidemiologic purposes, including c ontrol and prevention strategies.