title: Evaluation of sevafilachek immunoassays and rapid ICT-filariasis test for detection of bancroftian filariasis.
abstract: A comparative analysis was made on the utility of SEVAFILACHEK-stick based immunoassays and commercially available ICT-filariasis test to detect active infection in different groups of bancroftian filariasis. The SEVAFILACHEK immunoassays were found to be useful to detect filarial infection in microfilaraemia and in a significant number of clinical filarial cases with acute, chronic and occult clinical manifestations. In the clinical cases, microfilariae are not usually detected in peripheral circulation. Employing SEVAFILACHEK assays 6 and 5 of the 7 samples of patients with chronic filarial disease, and 6 and 5 of 6 microfilaraemic cases gave positivity for filarial IgG antibodies and antigen respectively. Four of the 6 occult filarial samples were positive for antibodies and antigen. Filarial antigen was detected by ICT-filariasis test in blood samples of all the 6 microfilariaemic cases, 1 chronic filarial and 2 occult filarial samples. The main advantage of ICT assay is its rapid format and convenience for field use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & JB Tropical Disease Research Centre, MGIMS, 442102 Sevagram(Wardha), Maharashtra India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Harinath
keywords: Bancroftian filariasis; antibody; antigen; immunoassays; rapid diagnostics