title: Assessment of the FasciMol-ELISA in the detection of the trematode Fasciola hepatica in field-collected Galba cubensis: a novel tool for the malacological survey of fasciolosis transmission.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fasciolosis is one of the food-borne neglected trematodioses that has reemerged as a human disease while its effects on domestic animal health remains of significant economic consideration. Being snail-borne disease, the accurate and time-saving epidemiological surveillance of the transmission foci where infected lymnaeid snails occur could be essential to effectively focus or redirect control strategies. For this purpose, the first monoclonal antibody-based immunoenzymatic assay to detect Fasciola hepatica-infected snails (FasciMol-ELISA) was recently developed and showed a high sensitivity and specificity when tested in an experimental F. hepatica - Galba cubensis system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here, we surveyed populations of G. cubensis occurring in western Cuba for the assessment of the FasciMol-ELISA in determining natural F. hepatica infection in this intermediate host. A multiplex PCR, previously developed to detect F. hepatica in G. cubensis, was used for sample classification. Snail dissection method was also employed as screening technique. A Χ(2) test and a Kappa index were calculated to evaluate the positivity and the level of agreement between the FasciMol-ELISA and the snail dissection methods with the multiplex PCR, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Galba cubensis was found in nine out of 12 sampled localities of which four were positive for F. hepatica infection as detected by both immunoenzymatic and PCR-based assays. The overall prevalence was higher than the natural infection rates previously reported for Cuban G. cubensis (range from 4.1 to 7.42% depending on the screening method). No significant differences were found between FasciMol-ELISA and multiplex PCR when determining parasite positivity (Χ(2) = 6.283; P = 0.0981) whereas an excellent agreement was also noted (Kappa = 0.8224).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate the importance of malacological surveys in assessing parasite transmission risk and constitute an alert on the need of accurate measures to control fasciolosis in western Cuba. The sensitivity and specificity of the FasciMol-ELISA as well as its time-saving capacity and the easy of performing the determination of a large number of samples, point at this assay as a novel tool suitable for large-scale monitoring of natural snails populations. To our knowledge, this is the first study that explores natural infection by F. hepatica in field-occurring lymnaeid snails using an immunoenzymatic assay.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Monoclonal Antibodies and Biological Models, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. annia@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Annia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alba
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malacology, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. antonivp@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Antonio A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malacology, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. jsnoda@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. fraga@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fraga
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Monoclonal Antibodies and Biological Models, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. Hilda@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malacology, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. emartinez@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Monoclonal Antibodies and Biological Models, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. marcet@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcet
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Monoclonal Antibodies and Biological Models, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. MabelF@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Mabel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Figueredo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Monoclonal Antibodies and Biological Models, Parasitology Division, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana, Cuba. sarracent@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sarracent
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D003462:Cuba / Q000453:epidemiology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary*; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005211:Fascioliasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D058751:Livestock; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000469:parasitology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013045:Species Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal