title: Em18 and Em16, new serologic marker epitopes for alveolar echinococcosis in western blot analysis, are the only two epitopes recognized by commercially available weak positive (cut off) sera for Em2plus-ELISA.
abstract: The assay system for antibody responses against Em2, the most specific antigen for serodiagnosis of alveolar echinococcosis (AE), has been established by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) but not by Western blot assay, since Em2 antigen is not protein but carbohydrate in nature. Recently we reported that previously undescribed protein epitopes, designated Em18 and Em16 due to their molecular weights, were good serologic markers for AE by Western blot analysis. It has been shown that Em18 and Em16 are the only two epitopes recognized by commercially available weak positive (cut off) sera for the Em2plus-ELISA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Osawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horii
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; C117889:Em18 antigen; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic