antigenic relationship between schistosoma mansoni and its intermediate snail host

Schistosomiasis is a public health problem in many developing countries including Egypt, Determination of the antigenic relationship between S. mansoni and its intermediate snail host [IMH] Biomphalaria alexandrina can open a new field for diagnosis and control of the disease. In the present study infected and non-infected B. alexandrina foot and visceral hump tissue as well as S. mansion crude Ag [SWAg] were fractionated using SDS-PAGE. It's specific and cross reacted protein fractions were determine using EITB versus experimentally prepared mice hyper immune sera [HIS] versus each antigen. After treatment of fractionated S.mansoni crude worm antigens [SWAg] versus HIS produced after vaccination of mice by the same Ag, 8 kda protein fractions ranged from 35-140 kda were reacted specifically. Treatment of fractionated B.alexandrina infected and non-infected foot and visceral hump Ag versus previous HIS revealed presence of common polypeptides bands between SWAg and non-infected snail antigens. The fraction at 135 kda, 68 kda, were detected in all cases, while that at 40-42 kda and that at 35 kda was diagnosed in SWAg and that of infected snails only. The fraction at 68 kda was reacted specifically between SWAg and all tested fractionated snail antigens either that of foot or visceral hump when they treated separately by HIS of mice vaccinated by each snail Ag separately. The fraction at 135 kda was common between SWAg and snail [infected and non-infected] visceral hump antigen. The fraction at the level of 110 kda was diagnosed in SWAg, in non-infected foot antigen and visceral hump Ag. The fraction at the level of 46-48 kda are common between SWAg and snail foot and visceral hump Ag after treated by HIS of mice vaccinated by foot Ag. Presence of common antigenic fractions between snail tissues and Schistosoma species can prefer an easily source of antigen valuable for diagnosis or vaccination as well as can he considered as new tool for determination to the snail IMH of new discovered trematode parasites

Evaluation of capillaria philippinensis coproantigen in the diagnosis of infection

In order to overcome the false negative diagnosis of infection with C. philippinensis in the absence of eggs in stool, coproantigen prepared from the stools of infected patients was evaluated serologically. This antigen was able to detect anti-Capillaria antibodies in the sera of infected cases at the same OD level produced with Capillaria crude worm antigen using indirect ELISA technique. C. Philippinensis coproantigen did not cross-react with the sera from patients with Schistosomiasis mansoni, Fascioliasis or Strongyloidiasis at 1:00 serum dilution. Laboratory-prepared hyperimmune sera versus crude worm antigen of C. philippinensis succeeded in capturing Capillaria antigen prepared from the stools of infected patients and did not cross-react with the coproantigens prepared from the stool samples of cases infected with S. Mansoni or Fasciola using sandwich ELISA technique

scanning electron microscopy study of Musca domestica larvae

The micro-morphology of the house fly, Musca domestica larvae, was studied by scanning electron microscopy [SEM]. The ultrastructure of the mouth- hooks, oral ridges, spinulation of body segments and posterior spiracles was photographed and described. The results of the study were given