CIRCULATING PARASITE ANTIGENS IN HUMAN FILARIASIS

人们普遍认识到需要改进人类肿瘤的诊断方法。 丝虫病 临床检查和微丝蚴检测是 不敏感和基于抗丝虫测量的血清学试验 抗体显示出较差的特异性。 我们的实验室一直在研究循环丝虫 抗原（主要用于犬恶丝虫病）。 我们 开发了一种基于单克隆抗体的ELISA检测循环 犬恶丝虫抗原，并与广泛的面板进行评估， 良好表征的狗血清。 抗原检测更敏感， 比微丝蚴检测或抗体检测更特异， 以往没有任何丝虫病的感染强度估计数 感染 两个D在感染的狗血清中鉴定了犬炎抗原， 火箭电泳 这些抗原已被部分纯化， 它们似乎是与子宫相关的酸性蛋白聚糖， 蠕虫中的卵。 我们现在计划对循环中的寄生虫抗原进行类似的研究， 人类丝虫病 初步研究表明，寄生虫 抗原可通过血清中的反免疫电泳检测到， 感染W. bancrofti。 我们将开发敏感的 单克隆抗体为基础的测定循环抗原的W。班氏 和马来丝虫（Brugia malayi）的感染。免疫学研究。 我们将 还鉴定和表征循环丝虫抗原， 它们在人类宿主中的免疫原性。 丝虫抗原检测将 作为临床和流行病学工具进行系统评价， 与印度国家传染病研究所合作 该组织正在对喀拉拉邦的丝虫病流行病学进行广泛的研究 （W. bancrofti和B.马来语）。 评估将包括 研究感染强度在人群中的分布， 获得感染时的年龄、感染的可能影响 母亲对后代感染易感性的状况，以及 利用寄生虫抗原检测监测丝虫病治疗情况。

There is a well-recognized need for improved diagnostic methods for human filariasis. Clinical examination and microfilaria detection are insensitive, and serologic tests based on measurement of antifilarial antibodies have shown poor specificity. Our laboratory has been involved in studies of circulating filarial antigens (primarily in canine dirofilariasis) for the past two years. We developed a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA to detect circulating Dirofilaria immitis antigens and evaluated it with an extensive panel of well-characterized dog sera. Antigen detection was more sensitive and specific than microfilarial tests or antibody assays, and it provided an estimate of infection intensity not previously available for any filarial infection. Two D. immitis antigens were identified in infected dog sera by rocket-line electrophoresis. These antigens have been partially purified, and they appear to be acidic proteoglycans associated with the uterus and eggs in adult female worms. We now plan to perform similiar studies of circulating parasite antigens in human filariasis. Preliminary studies have indicated that parasite antigens are detectable by counterimmunoelectrophoresis in the serum and urine of patients infected with W. bancrofti. We will develop sensitive monoclonal antibody-based assays for circulating antigens of W. bancrofti and Brugia malayi with techniques used in our D. immitis study. We will also identify and characterize circulating filarial antigens and study their immunogenicity in the human host. Filarial antigen assays will be systematically evaluated as clinical and epidemiological tools in collaboration with the Indian National Intitute of Communicable Diseases which has extensive ongoing studies of filariasis epidemiology in Kerala (endemic for W. bancrofti and B. malayi). This evaluation will include studies of the distribution of infection intensities in populations, the age at acquisition of infection, the possible influence of the infection status of the mother on susceptibility to infection in offspring, and the use of parasite antigen detection to monitor filariasis treatment.