Be. Dumenigo et al., Kinetics of antibody-based antigen detection in serum and faeces of sheep experimentally infected with Fasciola hepatica, VET PARASIT, 86(1), 1999, pp. 23-31
The monoclonal antibody ES78 was used in a sandwich immunosorbent assay (Sa
ndwich ELISA) for the detection of antigens in sera and faeces in the cours
e of Fasciola hepatica infection in 10 experimentally infected sheep.. All
infected sheep had circulating antigens in the first week post-infection (W
PI), Antigenemia was detectable until WPI 3 in four infected sheep, WPI 4 i
n five infected sheep and in only one sheep by WPI 5. The detection of copr
oantigens (Fa(g)) was possible in five infected sheep at WPI-4, in four she
ep at WPI-5 and in one sheep only at WPI-6. This technique was compared to
an indirect ELISA for the detection of antibodies using excretory secretory
antigens of F. hepatica. A significant correlation was found between Fa(g)
and egg output and also with adult worm numbers. Our method demonstrated t
hat the diagnosis of active fasciolosis in sheep is possible during all per
iods of infection. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.