title: Determination of IgG avidity in BALB/c mice experimentally infected with Toxocara canis.
abstract: Toxocariasis is a zoonotic disease in that IgM titers can remain high for long periods making difficult to determine the stage of the disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of indirect ELISA, associated with urea, to discriminate between the acute and chronic toxocariasis. IgG avidity was evaluated in 25 BALB/c mice experimentally infected with 1000 Toxocara canis eggs. Blood samples were collected, and sera treated with 6 M urea and assayed by ELISA every two weeks. The percent IgG avidity was determined using the mean absorbance of sera treated with urea, divided by the mean absorbance of untreated sera. In the first 15 days post-inoculation, was observed a low percentage, between 7.25 and 27.5%, IgG avidity, characteristic of an acute infection. After 60 days of infection, all the mice showed between 31.4 and 58% IgG avidity, indicating a chronic infection.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Pelotas ? UFPEL, Capão do Leão, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elizandra Roselaine
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Schoenardie
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Laboratory, Post-Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande ? FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos James
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Scaini
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Pelotas ? UFPEL, Capão do Leão, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana Farias da Costa de
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Pelotas ? UFPEL, Capão do Leão, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rita Leal
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sperotto
authors.affiliation: Center of Technology Development ? Biotechnology, Universidade Federal de Pelotas ? UFPEL, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sibele
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borsuk
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Pelotas ? UFPEL, Capão do Leão, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cristine Dias Pires
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Felicetti
authors.affiliation: Center of Technology Development ? Biotechnology, Universidade Federal de Pelotas ? UFPEL, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pepe
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Parasitology, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Pelotas ? UFPEL, Capão do Leão, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Elisabeth Aires
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Berne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D000915:Antibody Affinity; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D017166:Toxocara canis / Q000276:immunology*; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D007074:Immunoglobulin G