APPLICABILITY OF CRUDE EXTRACTS OF ADULT SPIROMETRA-ERINACEI FOR SERODIAGNOSIS OF SPARGANOSIS

Antigenicity of crude extracts of adult Spirometra erinacei was evalua ted in comparison to those of the plerocercoid (sparganum) for serodia gnosis of human sparganosis. Patients' sera from 39 sparganosis, 77 ot her helminthic diseases, and 50 uninfected controls were tested by enz yme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). When both extracts were used a s antigen, specific antibody levels in sparganosis sera were highly co rrelated (r = 0.83). The sensitivity and specificity of the adult worm extracts were 92.3 and 98.3%, while those of the sparganum were 94.3 and 96.6%, respectively. This result showed that crude extracts of adu lt S. erinacei could be used as a diagnostic antigen of sparganosis.