ABSTRACT
The potential use of excretory secretory [ES] T.spiralis muscle larval [ML] and adult antigens in enzyme linked immunoelectrotransfer blot [EITB] assay for reliable early serodiagnosis of experimental trichinosis and for assessment of cure after flubendazole therapy is the aim of the present study. Mice were either experimentally infected with T.spiralis then sacrificed at different time points post-infection [PI]; 7 and14 days PI [early stage of infection] and 21 and 56 days PI [late stages of infection] or infected and treated with flubendazole and sacrificed 21 days PI. Serum samples were collected from infected mice either treated or not as well as from healthy and experimentally infected mice with parasitic infections other than T.spiralis. ES T. spiralis ML and adult antigens were prepared from in vitro cultivated larvae and adults, respectively and used in EITB after separation and characterization using 12% sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing condition. EITB using 55 KDa band of ES T.spiralis ML antigen showed a higher sensitivity [67.5%], specificity [100%] and efficacy [84.7%] in diagnosis of trichinosis compared to other bands of ES ML antigen [P< 0.001]. In addition, it was recognized by sera of infected mice 14 days PI [35% sensitivity at early stage of infection]. Using EITB for diagnosis of trichinosis, bands at 47.5 and 28.3 KDa of ES T.spiralis adult antigen showed sensitivity 32.5 and 30%, respectively, specificity 100% and a higher efficacy [68.23 and 67.05%, respectively] compared to other bands of ES adult antigen [p<0.001]. While EITB using 55KDa band of ES T.spiralis ML antigen is more sensitive for diagnosis of trichinosis compared to 47.5 and 28.3 KDa of ES adult antigens [p< 0.001], the same test using either 47.5 or 28.3 KDa of ES adult antigen is more sensitive [65 and 60%, respectively] for diagnosis of early stage of the disease. Bands at 49, 45 and 36 of ES T.spiralis ML antigen become rapidly negative after cure, hence can be used for assessment of cure