CIRCULATING PARASITE ANTIGENS IN HUMAN FILARIASIS

人们普遍认为有必要改进人类的诊断方法 丝虫病。临床检查和微丝虫病检测 基于抗丝虫病测量的不敏感和血清学测试 抗体表现出较差的特异性。 我们实验室参与了有关循环丝虫病的研究。 过去两年的抗原(主要是犬的丝虫病)。我们 建立了一种基于单抗的检测循环的酶联免疫吸附试验 Drofilaria immitis抗原，并用广泛的 特征明确的狗血清液。抗原检测更灵敏， 它比微丝虫病检测或抗体检测更具特异性，并提供了一种 以前没有丝虫病感染强度的估计 感染。从感染的狗血清中鉴定出两种免疫球虫抗原 火箭线电泳法。这些抗原已经被部分提纯， 它们似乎是与子宫和子宫有关的酸性蛋白多糖 雌成虫体内的卵。 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 抗原可通过对流免疫电泳法在血清和 感染班氏假单胞菌患者的尿液。我们会发展出敏感 班氏假丝酵母菌循环抗原的单抗检测 和马来丝虫(Brugia Malayi)，以及我们研究中使用的技术。我们会 也鉴定和表征循环丝虫抗原和研究 它们在人类宿主中的免疫原性。丝虫抗原化验将是 作为临床和流行病学工具进行系统评估 与印度国家传染病研究所合作 它对喀拉拉邦的丝虫病流行病学进行了广泛的持续研究 (班克罗夫提和马来丝虫特有)。这项评估将包括 研究感染强度在人群中的分布， 感染时的年龄、感染的可能影响 母亲对子女感染易感性的状况，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.