APPLICATION OF THE ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOELECTROTRANSFER BLOT TO FILTER-PAPER BLOOD SPOTS TO ESTIMATE SEROPREVALENCE OF CYSTICERCOSIS IN BOLIVIA

An enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) assay was used to s tudy the prevalence of cysticercosis in rural Bolivia. Dried blood spo ts on filter paper from fingersticks were used as assay samples. Befor e the serosurvey, experiments were performed to show that samples elut ed from dried whole blood on filter paper exhibited no decrease in sen sitivity when compared with the more traditional serum samples used in the EITB. Fingerstick blood dried on filter paper is a convenient, ec onomical way of transporting and storing field samples for epidemiolog ic surveys of cysticercosis in developing countries. This report shows the utility of this sample collection method in underdeveloped countr ies where refrigeration is not possible and where venipuncture is a pr oblem. Blood was obtained from randomly selected residents in three ru ral regions of Bolivia: Chuquisaca (n = 1,859), Cochabamba (n = 1,516) , and Tarija (n = 1,010). The estimated seroprevalence on 10% of the s ample collected for the three regions were 9%, 4.5%, and 2%, respectiv ely.