Antibody analysis in human filarial sera by ELISA using Wuchereria bancrofti microfilariae culture antigen.

Abstract

employlng various immunological tests showed that the exoa ntigen collected from t he living parasites could be used in immunodiagnostic te st because of it s high specificity and sensitivity. To:wcara larval secretions and excretions collected from in lIir ro cultu re were used as antigen in passive haemagglutination and sp luble antigen fluorescent antibody tests for the diagnosis of visceral larva migrans in experimenlal animals and man l . The enzyme immuno 'Ossay was adapted 10 toxacariasis by using To.wX'ara canis sec ret ory anllgen obtained from ill ritro cuhure ol • The exoantigen obtained from culture fluid of Wuchereria btU/crofti mf was used in indirect haemaggl utination for the diagnosis of bancroftian filaria sis s . This study reports t he detection and identifica tion of fil arial a nti body against Wuchereria hC/I!(fo!ri microfilariae culture fluid antigen by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Materials a nd Methods Cllitllrl' anligen-W. bancroft; microfilariae were separaled from microfilaraemia blood samples by nucleopore membrane filtration and maintained for 15 days in Medium 199 (3-4 thousand mf/ ml of med ium) supplemen ted with o rganic acids and sugars orGrace's mcdium 6 . T he medium was changed eve ry 24 hr. The culture fluid (120 ml) was centrifuged at 13,000 g for 15 min and the su pernatant was stored at - 20