title: The antibody responses to adult-worm antigens of Schistosoma haematobium, among infected and resistant individuals from an endemic community in southern Ghana.
abstract: Antibody responses to antigens from adult Schistosoma haematobium were investigated in an endemic community in Ghana, using microplate-ELISA. The results of a survey of egg output in urine and of a questionnaire-based investigation of water-contact activities were used to select 'endemic normal' (EN) and patently infected (PI) individuals as subjects. The plasma levels of antibodies reacting with the adult-worm antigens were determined and compared and the correlations between these levels and the age, water-contact index and egg output of each subject were evaluated. Compared with the EN subjects, the PI generally had higher levels of anti-worm IgG and IgE but lower levels of anti-worm IgA. When the data for the EN and PI groups were combined, the levels of anti-worm IgG and IgE were found to be positively correlated with egg output and with each other. Whichever the antibody class considered, levels of anti-worm antibodies were never negatively correlated with egg output. These results indicate that anti-worm IgE and IgG could be used as markers to reflect current infection intensity, and that anti-worm antibodies may not act as protective antibodies in the natural course of urinary schistosomiasis.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Unit, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, PO Box LG581, Legon, Ghana. yosada@med.uoeh-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Osada
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Anyan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boamah
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Otchere
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quartey
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Asigbee
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Bosompem
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology*; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D012548:Schistosoma haematobium / Q000276:immunology*; D012553:Schistosomiasis haematobia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth