title: Performance of a 27 kDa Fasciola hepatica Antigen in the Diagnosis of Human Fascioliasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serological diagnosis, based on antigenic fractions of the parasite can be used for the early diagnosis of human fascioliasis. The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a 27 kDa immunodominant antigen of Fasciola hepatica adult worms, in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system for serological diagnosis of human fascioliasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The immunodiagnosis of human fascioliasis, using a 27 kDa immunodominant antigen, purified from F. hepatica somatic antigens (SAs), was evaluated by Western blotting and ELISA with sera samples of human fascioliasis patients, healthy controls and patients with other parasitic infections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using western blotting, from 12 sera of fascioliasis patients, 11 sera (91.6%) detected the 27 kDa subunit. None of 30 samples from healthy controls or 32 sera from nonfascioliasis patients reacted with the 27 kDa antigen. Accordingly, sensitivity and specificity of the system was found to be 91.6% and 100%, respectively. The 27 kDa antigen was purified from the SAs and was used in an indirect ELISA system. Of 15 sera of fascioliasis patients, all (100%) were found to be positive by ELISA whereas only 4 cases (6.25%) of nonfascioliasis patients or healthy controls were false-positive by this system. Accordingly, the sensitivity and specificity of the test were 100% and 93.6%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings of this study demonstrated that both Western blotting and the indirect ELISA, based on the 27 kDa subunit of F. hepatica SA, are reliable methods for serodiagnosis of human fascioliasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shafiei
authors.affiliation: Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahador
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sarkari
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Mahmoud
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sadjjadi
keywords: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; fascioliasis; immunodiagnosis