Recombinant Immunoassay Diagnoses Human Fascioliasis
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 03 Oct 2013 |
|
Image: Adult of Fasciola hepatica stained with carmine (Photo courtesy of US Centers for Disease Control).
The current diagnosis of human fascioliasis involves the detection of eggs in the stool, however, eggs are not observed during the acute phase when the parasite is migrating through the tissues.
A human immune response to Fasciola antigens occurs early in infection, therefore, an immunological method such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) may be a more reliable, easy and cheap means to diagnose human fascioliasis than coprological analysis.
Scientists from McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada) collected serum samples from 93 Cuban individuals that were coprologically positive for eggs of F. hepatica and clinically diagnosed in the hospital. Samples were also collected from 72 Cuban and 63 Canadian individuals that were shown to be negative for Fasciola infection, and 158 serum samples obtained from individuals infected with other parasitic diseases. The ELISA test was optimized using a recombinant form of the major F. hepatica cathepsin L1 protease antigen (FhCL1).
The ELISA test using anti-total immunoglobulin G (IgG) secondary antibody gave 99.99% specificity and also exhibited 99.99% sensitivity for identifying infected individuals. The results showed that absorbance readings obtained with sera from patients infected with parasites other than F. hepatica closely matched that obtained with the negative control samples. The investigators found that using 0.55 optical density (OD) units as cut-off with anti-total IgG as secondary antibody, the test can discriminate between F. hepatica patients and all other infections examined.
The authors concluded that their standardized ELISA test using a highly stable recombinant form of cathepsin L1, FhCL1, exhibits high sensitivity and specificity and with no cross-reaction with other parasitic diseases. High production of this enzyme can be obtained by purification of Pichia pastoris culture medium, which provides sufficient quantities of material to supply diagnostic centers for mass screening in regions where human fascioliasis is prevalent. The study was published on September 19, 2013, in the journal Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Disease.
Related Links:
McGill University
A human immune response to Fasciola antigens occurs early in infection, therefore, an immunological method such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) may be a more reliable, easy and cheap means to diagnose human fascioliasis than coprological analysis.
Scientists from McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada) collected serum samples from 93 Cuban individuals that were coprologically positive for eggs of F. hepatica and clinically diagnosed in the hospital. Samples were also collected from 72 Cuban and 63 Canadian individuals that were shown to be negative for Fasciola infection, and 158 serum samples obtained from individuals infected with other parasitic diseases. The ELISA test was optimized using a recombinant form of the major F. hepatica cathepsin L1 protease antigen (FhCL1).
The ELISA test using anti-total immunoglobulin G (IgG) secondary antibody gave 99.99% specificity and also exhibited 99.99% sensitivity for identifying infected individuals. The results showed that absorbance readings obtained with sera from patients infected with parasites other than F. hepatica closely matched that obtained with the negative control samples. The investigators found that using 0.55 optical density (OD) units as cut-off with anti-total IgG as secondary antibody, the test can discriminate between F. hepatica patients and all other infections examined.
The authors concluded that their standardized ELISA test using a highly stable recombinant form of cathepsin L1, FhCL1, exhibits high sensitivity and specificity and with no cross-reaction with other parasitic diseases. High production of this enzyme can be obtained by purification of Pichia pastoris culture medium, which provides sufficient quantities of material to supply diagnostic centers for mass screening in regions where human fascioliasis is prevalent. The study was published on September 19, 2013, in the journal Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Disease.
Related Links:
McGill University
Platinum Member
Automated Coagulation Analyzer
Hemolumi H6
Gold Member
Quantitative POC Immunoassay Analyzer
EASY READER+
Creatinine/eGFR Meter
StatSensor® Creatinine/eGFR Meter
HPV Test
Allplex HPV28 Detection
Latest Immunology News
- Immune Biomarkers May Predict Recurrent Checkpoint Inhibitor Arthritis
- Immune Cell Blood Test May Predict Melanoma Immunotherapy Response
- Study Reveals Viral Protein Driving COVID-19-Related Vascular Injury
- Antibody Profiling Identifies Preclinical Inflammatory Bowel Disease Years Before Diagnosis
- Study Reveals Immune Mechanism Driving Severe COVID-19 Progression
- Ultrasensitive Blood Test Detects Sjögren’s Signature Years Before Diagnosis
- New Assays Expand Cytokine Testing for Transplant and Immunocompromised Patients
- Cell-Free Assay Detects Functional IgE for Food Allergy Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Models Detect Hidden Eye Abnormalities After Mild COVID-19
- Anti-Lipid Antibody Biomarkers May Identify Early Lyme Disease and Persistent Symptoms
- Immune Biomarkers Could Identify Risk of Chronic Critical Illness on ICU Admission
- Emergency Department Opt-Out Testing Program Identifies Undiagnosed HIV
- Airway Immune Signature May Predict Tuberculosis Progression Risk
- New Cellular Biomarkers Correlate with Disease Severity in Sjögren Disease
- Lung Immune Profiling Reveals Distinct Severe Pneumonia Subtypes
- Lab-on-a-Chip Approach Advances Immune–Cancer Cell Interaction Analysis
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
AMH Test Helps Predict Adjuvant Chemotherapy Benefit in Premenopausal Breast Cancer
Hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer can present a difficult treatment decision in premenopausal patients with low recurrence scores.... Read more
Compact Prenatal Screening System Expands Access to Preeclampsia Testing
Preeclampsia affects an estimated 2%–8% of pregnancies and is rising globally with increasing maternal age, diabetes, and hypertension. While international guidelines recommend screening, access often... Read more
Blood Test on a Chip Offers Low-Cost Lung Cancer Detection Without DNA Sequencing
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and screening often yields indeterminate results that prompt invasive workups. Computed tomography (CT) detects small nodules but can flag benign... Read more
Molecular Diagnostics
view channel
Sequencing-Based Newborn Screening Identifies Pediatric Cancer Risk at Birth
Newborn screening in the United States relies on heel-stick blood spots to identify rare, treatable disorders through biochemical testing, but these programs generally do not assess inherited cancer risk... Read more
Liquid Biopsy Combines Multiple Signals for Cancer Detection in a Single Analysis
Detecting and monitoring cancer often requires repeated tissue biopsies, which are invasive and not always feasible. Liquid biopsy offers a less invasive way to track disease over time, but many assays... Read more
Hematology
view channel
New Genetic Findings Reveal Cause of Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome
Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS) impair the bone marrow’s ability to produce sufficient healthy blood cells and are associated with an increased risk of early-onset myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).... Read more
Ultra-Portable Device Enables Finger-Prick Blood Testing at Home
Patients who need frequent blood tests often face repeated clinic visits that burden services and disrupt care. In the UK, millions of tests are performed each year to diagnose disease, guide therapy,... Read more
Immunology
view channel
Immune Biomarkers May Predict Recurrent Checkpoint Inhibitor Arthritis
Inflammatory arthritis is a recognized immune-related adverse event in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for cancer. Between 20% and 50% of affected patients experience more than... Read more
Immune Cell Blood Test May Predict Melanoma Immunotherapy Response
Melanoma remains one of the deadliest skin cancers, although outcomes improve markedly when the disease is detected early. Immunotherapy has extended survival for many patients with advanced melanoma,... Read more
Pathology
view channel
AI Tool Identifies Slide Artifacts to Speed Digital Pathology Diagnosis
Pathology laboratories face growing case volumes, staffing pressures, and increasing diagnostic complexity that can delay results. At the same time, whole-slide images may contain quality defects such... Read more
FDA-Cleared Digital Pathology Platform Expands Interoperability for Primary Diagnosis
Rising cancer incidence is colliding with a shrinking pathologist workforce, intensifying pressure on diagnostic turnaround times in clinical laboratories. Many labs are adopting digital pathology to manage... Read more
Technology
view channel
Interoperable Data Platform Standardizes Multi-Cancer Blood Test Results
Proteotype Diagnostics has introduced Alchemi, a proprietary data and clinical workflow platform being developed for Enlighten, the company’s investigational blood-based multi-cancer test.... Read more
Training Device Improves Accuracy of Pooled Molecular Diagnostics
High-throughput molecular diagnostics have transformed infectious disease detection, but many workflows remain difficult to execute accurately without extensive training. Sample pooling can cut per‑test... Read more
New CE-Certified Software Advances Whole-Genome Cancer Testing
European hospitals are increasingly using comprehensive tumor genomics to guide therapy, but routine whole genome sequencing (WGS) requires validated, regulation-compliant workflows. A newly CE-certified... Read more
National Rare Disease Registry Standardizes Genetic and Clinical Data for Coordinated Care
Rare diseases collectively impose a significant clinical burden despite their individual rarity, often involving multisystem presentations and prolonged diagnostic journeys. Limited specialist expertise... Read moreIndustry
view channel
Collaboration Supports Global ADC Development with AI-Powered Tissue Analysis
Selecting patients for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) increasingly requires broader tissue context, as target expression alone may not fully explain therapeutic response. Laboratories and translational... Read more
Standardized Staining Technology Advances Digital Pathology Workflows
Digital pathology is increasingly used to streamline cancer diagnostics, yet staining variability can hinder slide interpretation and limit the reliability of artificial intelligence tools.... Read more
Global Testing Service Advances Leukemia MRD Monitoring
KMT2A rearrangements drive aggressive subsets of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are associated with relapse and poor outcomes. As menin inhibitors enter clinical... Read more