Immunological diagnosis of human hydatid cyst relapse: Utility of the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot and discriminant analysis

A discriminant technique was applied to the different serological patterns obtained by enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blotting (EITB) and by conv entional immunological tests, in order to differentiate the residual antibo dy patterns present in healed hydatidosis from the ones present in patients with active hydatidosis, For this purpose, specific antibodies against Ech inococcus granulosus were detected by indirect hemagglutination, agglutinat ion of latex particles, basophil degranulation, and EITB for 23 patients wi th active hydatidosis and 45 patients with surgically cured hydatidosis. Di scriminant analysis of the different serological patterns obtained by EITB and conventional serology correctly classified 92.54% of patients (93.3% if the patients are differentiated according to the time elapsed since surger y). This method detected the presence of active hydatidosis in 95.6% of pat ients for whom abdominal ultrasonography had confirmed the presence of acti ve hydatid cysts. The global specificity was 88.9%. The specificity was 97. 1% for patients who had been operated on 3 years ago or more and 63.6% for patients with less time since surgery.