title: Screening methods in alveolar echinococcosis: a follow-up study comparing Emc- and Emf-ELISA with Em2plus-ELISA and ultrasonography.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to identify Echinococcus multilocularis infection in follow-up of 95 subjects initially seropostive by Emc-ELISA or Emf-ELISA antibody assays and to compare the utility of these assays with specific Em2plus-ELISA and ultrasound screening for E. multilocularis infection. At follow-up seven subjects were seropositive with both methods, while three were seropositive only with Emc-ELISA and 11 only with Emf-ELISA. All subjects were seronegative with Em2plus-ELISA. There were no manifestations of E. multilocularis infestation by ultrasonographic screening. Seropositivity on Emc-ELISA and Emf-ELISA screening tests does not appear to correlate with manifest alveolar echinococcosis identified by ultrasound. A recommendation for further follow-up of subjects found to be seropositive with Emc-ELISA and Emf-ELISA but with no sonographic evidence of disease is not justified at this time.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Innere Medizin, Klinik für Innere Medizin I, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hänle
authors.forename: H-M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Banzhaf
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Forsbach-Birk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kirch
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Akinli
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reuter
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kratzer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D004445:Echinococcosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth