title: Kinetic and avidity of IgY anti-Toxocara antibodies in experimentally infected chickens.
abstract: Toxocariasis is a geohelminth zoonosis with worldwide distribution, mainly transmitted through the ingestion of embryonated eggs of nematodes of the Toxocara genus. The disease can also be transmitted to humans as a result of eating raw or undercooked meat of paratenic hosts, such as chickens. Here, we standardized an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for evaluating experimentally the kinetic and avidity index (AI) of IgY in broiler chickens infected with different doses of Toxocara canis eggs (G1:100; G2: 1000; and G3: 5000; n = 12 per group). The test showed 91.7% sensitivity (CI 95%: 77.5-98.3) and 100% specificity (CI 95%: 92.6-100), and highest efficiency (97.0%) at 60 days post infection. Infection was characterized by the presence of high avidity antibodies in the chronic phase. Our results support that the ELISA can be a highly useful tool for the detection of anti-Toxocara antibodies in chickens.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduation Program in Animal Science, Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching-Hospital (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: da Silva Raposo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching-Hospital, Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: vamilton@unoeste.br.
authors.forename: Vamilton Alvares
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Santarém
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduation Program in Animal Science, Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching-Hospital (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Yslla Fernanda Fitz Balo
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Merigueti
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Seroepidemiology and Immunobiology, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guita
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rubinsky-Elefant
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching-Hospital, Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Letícia Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: de Lima Cerazo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching-Hospital, Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ludimilla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching-Hospital, Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bianca Pelegi
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Zampieri
authors.affiliation: Zoonosis and Public Health Research Group, State University of Feira de Santana, UEFS, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aristeu Vieira
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Veterinary Teaching-Hospital, Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cecília Braga
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Laposy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D000915:Antibody Affinity; D002645:Chickens; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014119:Toxocara / Q000276:immunology*; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; C016512:IgY; D007136:Immunoglobulins
keywords: Birds; ELISA; Immune response; Toxocariasis