title: Post-surgical follow-up (by ELISA and immunoblotting) of cured versus non-cured cystic echinococcosis in young patients.
abstract: The study was designed to determine comparatively the prognostic value of immunoblotting and ELISA in the serological follow-up of young cystic echinococcosis (CE) patients exhibiting either a cured or a progredient (non-cured) course of disease after treatment. A total of 54 patients (mean age 9 years, range from 3 to 15 years) with surgically, radiologically and/or histologically proven CE were studied for a period up to 60 months after surgery. Additionally, some of the patients underwent chemotherapy. Based on the clinical course and outcome, as well as on imaging findings, patients were clustered into 2 groups of either cured (CCE), or non-cured (NCCE) CE patients. ELISA showed a high rate of seropositivity 4 to 5 years post-surgery for both CCE (57.1%) and NCCE (100%) patients, the difference found between the two groups was statistically not significant. Immunoblotting based upon recognition of AgB subcomponents (8 and 16 kDa bands) showed a decrease of respective antibody reactivities after 4 years post-surgery. Only sera from 14.3% of CCE patients recognized the subcomponents of AgB after 4 years, while none (0%) of these sera was still reactive at 5 years post-surgery. At variance, immunoblotting remained positive for AgB subcomponents in 100% of the NCCE cases as tested between 4 and 5 years after surgical treatment. Immunoblotting therefore proved to be a useful approach for monitoring post-surgical follow-ups of human CCE and NCCE in young patients when based upon the recognition of AgB subcomponents.
authors.affiliation: University of Monastir, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Clinical Biology B, Laboratory of Parasitology and Mycology, 99UR/08-05 1- rue Avicenne, 5000 Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: N Ben
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Nouir
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nuñez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frei
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorcii
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gianinazzi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mekki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nouri
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Babba
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gottstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D048209:Echinococcus granulosus / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth