• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2022

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by infection with E. multilocularis metacestode, represents one of the most fatal helminthic diseases. AE is principally manifested with infiltrative, proliferating hepatic mass, resembling primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Sometimes metastatic lesions are found in nearby or remote tissue. AE diagnosis largely depends on imaging studies, but atypical findings of imaging features frequently require differential diagnosis from other hepatic lesions. Serological tests may provide further evidence, while obtaining reliable AE materials is not easy. In this study, alternative antigens, specific to AE were identified by analyzing E. granulosus protoscolex proteins. An immunoblot analysis of E. granulosus protoscolex showed that a group of low-molecular-weight proteins in the range from 14 kDa to 16 kDa exhibited a sensitive and specific immune response to AE patient sera. Partial purification and proteomic analysis indicated that this protein group contained myosin, tubulin polymerization promoting protein, fatty-acid binding protein, uncharacterized DM9, heat shock protein 90 cochaperone tebp P-23, and antigen S. When the serological applicability of recombinant forms of these proteins was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, DM9 protein (rEgDM9) showed 90.1% sensitivity (73/81 sera tested) and 94.5% specificity (172/181 sera tested), respectively. rEgDM9 showed weak cross-reactions with patient sera from the transitional and chronic stages of cystic echinococcosis (3 to 5 stages). rEgDM9 would serve as a useful alternative antigen for serodiagnosis of both early- and advanced-stage AE cases.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.159-167
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• 1987

To analyse the antigen specificity of patients sera from 24 confirmed neurocysticercosis and a monoclonal antibody, SDS-PAGE using 10~15% linear gradient gel and EITB were done. Cystic fluid, saline extracts of scolex and of whole worm of C. cellulosae, saline extracts of sparganum, hydatid cyst fluid, saline extracts of Fasciola, Clonorchis and Paragonimus were used as antigen. Of protein bands in cystic fluid of C. cellulosae, patient sera reacted frequently to bands of 152, 94, 64, 48, 24, 15, 10 and 7kDa proteins. To saline extracts of scolex and whole worm of C. cellulosae, patients sera reacted frequently to 94, 64, 52, 39, 34, 15 and 10kDa bands. Two bands in sparganum extract (130 and 64kDa) and two bands in hydatid cyst fluid (52 and 27kDa) were cross-reacting bands with sera from cysticercosis patients. Saline extracts of Fasciola, ClonorchiJ and Paragonimus did 'not exhibit cross-reacting bands. Monoclonal antibody to cystic fluid of C. cellulosae was found to react with low molecular weight proteins of 15, 10 and 7kDa.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.291-299
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• 2016

Human hydatid disease (cystic echinococcosis, CE) is a chronic parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of the cestode Echinococcus granulosus. As the disease mainly affects the liver, approximately 70% of all identified CE cases are detected in this organ. Optical molecular imaging (OMI), a noninvasive imaging technique, has never been used in vivo with the specific molecular markers of CE. Thus, we aimed to construct an in vivo fluorescent imaging mouse model of CE to locate and quantify the presence of the parasites within the liver noninvasively. Drug-treated protoscolices were monitored after marking by JC-1 dye in in vitro and in vivo studies. This work describes for the first time the successful construction of an in vivo model of E. granulosus in a small living experimental animal to achieve dynamic monitoring and observation of multiple time points of the infection course. Using this model, we quantified and analyzed labeled protoscolices based on the intensities of their red and green fluorescence. Interestingly, the ratio of red to green fluorescence intensity not only revealed the location of protoscolices but also determined the viability of the parasites in vivo and in vivo tests. The noninvasive imaging model proposed in this work will be further studied for long-term detection and observation and may potentially be widely utilized in susceptibility testing and therapeutic effect evaluation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.1145-1151
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• 2010

The objective of this work was to analyze the relationship between ovine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) DRB1 gene polymorphism and genetic resistance to hydatidosis in Kazakh sheep. The Ovar (ovine MHC) class II DRB1 second exon was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from DNA samples of 702 Kazakh sheep, including 302 sheep with hydatidosis and 400 health controls. PCR products were characterized by the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique using five restriction enzymes, i.e., MvaI, HaeIII, SacI, SacII and Hin1I, yielding 14 alleles and 28 genotypes. Comparing the frequency of genotypes in hydatidosis sheep with the control group, it was found that the genotype frequencies of MvaIbc, Hin1Iab, SacIIab, HaeIIIde, HaeIIIdf and HaeIIIdd in control sheep were significantly (p<0.01) higher than in hydatidosis sheep, indicating that a significant correlation existed between these genotypes and resistance to hydatidosis. Genotype frequencies of MvaIbb, SacIIaa, Hin1Ibb and HaeIIIef in sheep with hydatidosis were extremely significantly (p<0.01) higher than in the control group, and the genotype frequency of HaeIIIab was significantly higher (p<0.05), indicating that a marked correlation existed between these genotypes and susceptibility to hydatidosis. By way of analyzing haplotype with these resistant genotypes, the hydatidosis resistant haplotype MvaIbc-SacIIab-Hin1Iab of Kazakh sheep was screened out, and then verified through artificial hydatid infection in sheep. The results indicated that the infection rate of sheep with the resistant haplotype of hydatidosis was significantly lower (p<0.01) than without this resistant haplotype. It showed that the genic haplotype MvaIbc-SacIIab-Hin1Iab of Ovar-DRB1 exon 2 was the resistant haplotype of hydatidosis in Kazakh sheep.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.145-158
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• 1986

This study was undertaken to purify cystic fluid (CF) antigen of Taenia solium metacestodes by affinity chromatogaphy using specific monoclonal antibody(McAb) and to characterize the antigenicity of the purified antigen. The hybridoma cell lines, prepared by fusion between mouse plasmacytoma and spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with CF, secreted antibodies reacting to various helminthic antigens. Majority of cell lines reacted to CF only but some also reacted to parenchymal antigen of T. solium metacestodes, adult T. saginata, sparganum, hydatid cystic fluid, Paragonimus westermani and Clonorchis sinensis, either in combination with CF, other antigens or independently. Cloned cells derived from monoclonal lines also produced antibodies reacting either to CF only or to other helminthes in combination or independently. These results indicated that CF of T. solium metacestodes contained proteins which possessed antigenic determinants not only specific to CF but also cross reactive with the afore-mentioned helminthes. CF of T. solium metacestodes was purified by affinity chromatography using the McAb which reacted to CF and parenchymal antigens. The affinity-purified antigen (A-Ag) and unbound pool CF (U-Ag) were separated. A-Ag showed 2 protein bands by disc-PAGE whereas CF exhibited 6 bands and U-Ag consisted of all bands CF had. The diagnostic significance of A-Ag was evaluated by ELISA in human neurocysticercosis and other helminthic and neurologic diseases. By A-Ag, the levels of the specific IgG antibody, as shown by absorbance in sera and CSF, were lower than those of CF and U-Ag. Accordingly, the sensitivity was about 70% of CF and U-Ag. However, the nonspecific positive reactions to CF and U-Ag, observed in sparganosis, T. saginata infection and paragonimiasis did not occur when A-Ag was used. These results indicated that the affinity-purified A-Ag had the higher specificity but the lower sensitivity as a diagnostic antigen in cysticercosis, probably because it only detected a single or limited numbers of monospecific antibodies among the diverse polyclonal antibodies produced in the patients with neurocysticercosis.