title: Serological diagnosis of Oesophagostomum infections.
abstract: A sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is described to diagnose human infection with Oesophagostomum bifurcum. In an ELISA using crude soluble antigen, prepared from adult O. bifurcum, many cross reactions occurred when measuring IgG titres in patients with other helminth infections. An ELISA based on the detection of specific IgG4, however, had a specificity of over 95%. The sensitivity of the IgG4 ELISA was difficult to assess because a reliable parasitological diagnosis is not available. The IgG4-ELISA described seems to be a powerful new tool to study the distribution of this little known but locally very common nematode parasite.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Parasitology, University of Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Polderman
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Krepel
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Verweij
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baeta
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rotmans
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000032:analysis; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D009814:Oesophagostomiasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009815:Oesophagostomum / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D007074:Immunoglobulin G