Up-converting phosphor technology-based lateral flow assay for detection of Schistosoma circulating anodic antigen in serum

J Clin Microbiol. 2008 Jan;46(1):171-6. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00877-07. Epub 2007 Oct 17.

Abstract

Schistosoma sp. circular anodic antigen (CAA) serum concentrations reflect actual worm burden in a patient and are a valuable tool for population screening and epidemiological research. However, for the diagnosis of individual imported schistosomiasis cases, the current enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) lacks sensitivity and robustness. Therefore, a lateral flow (LF) assay was developed to test CAA in serum for individual diagnosis of imported active schistosome infections. Application of fluorescent submicron-sized up-converting phosphor technology (UPT) reporter particles increased analytical sensitivity compared to that of the standard ELISA method. Evaluation of the UPT-LF test with a selection of 40 characterized epidemiologic samples indicated a good correlation between signal intensity and infection intensity. Subsequently, the UPT-LF assay was applied to 166 serum samples of Dutch residents (immigrants and travelers) suspected of schistosomiasis, a case in which group routine antibody detection frequently fails straightforward diagnosis. The UPT-LF assay identified 36 CAA-positive samples, compared to 15 detected by CAA-ELISA. In conclusion, the UPT-LF assay is a low-complexity test with higher sensitivity than the CAA-ELISA, well suited for laboratory diagnosis of individual active Schistosoma infections.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, Helminth / blood*
  • Humans
  • Netherlands
  • Parasitology / methods*
  • Schistosoma / chemistry
  • Schistosoma / isolation & purification*
  • Schistosomiasis / diagnosis*
  • Schistosomiasis / immunology
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serum / chemistry

Substances

  • Antigens, Helminth