title: Acute schistosomiasis diagnosis: a new tool for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis in a group of travelers recently infected in a new focus of Schistosoma mansoni.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The diagnosis of schistosomiasis mansoni on early stages of infection is important to prevent late morbidity. A simple, cheap, sensitive and specific assay for routine diagnosis of schistosome infection based on the detection of specific IgG for schistosomula tegument antigens (ELISA-SmTeg) was developed by our group.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe here an acute outbreak involving a travel group of 80 individuals from a non-endemic area of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. These individuals were in contact with a freshwater pool where Biomphalaria glabrata was found. Results obtained from our new methodology were compared to IgG antibody titers against soluble worm antigenic preparation (SWAP) by ELISA and, also to parasitological examination, nuclear magnetic resonance and clinical findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ELISA-SmTeg was capable of detecting 64 positive cases among the 80 individuals participating at the survey with a positivity ratio of 80% and a higher sensitivity than ELISA-SWAP that was only sensitive for 56% of positive cases. Besides, a significant correlation was found for the severity of the infection and the specific IgG titers against SmTeg.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data showed that ELISA-SmTeg might serve as the initial diagnostic tool for acute stages of the infection in community-based helminth control programs or for the surveillance of individuals from non-endemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Esquistossomose, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, MG.
authors.forename: Rafaella Fortini Queiroz
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Grenfell
authors.forename: Watson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Sandra Costa
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Drummond
authors.forename: Carlos Maurício de Figueiredo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Antunes
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Voieta
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otoni
authors.forename: Aureo Almeida de
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Silva-Moraes
authors.forename: Eduardo Ribeiro de
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: José Roberto
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lambertucci
authors.forename: Cristina Toscano
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Paulo Marcos Zech
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Coelho
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000276:immunology*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D007074:Immunoglobulin G