ECHINOCOCCOSIS--RECOMBINANT ANTIGENS FOR SERODIAGNOSIS

据估计，每10万人中有200例包虫病病例， 肯尼亚西北部地区包虫病患病率最高 世界。在图尔卡纳区的一些地区，几乎每个居民都是 暴露于细粒棘球绦虫。对于一些人来说，包虫感染会导致生命- 由于肝、肺、心脏、骨骼或 胃肠功能障碍。因为美国的医疗保健水平有限 地区和最近控制计划的减少，包虫病 对肯尼亚卫生服务来说是一个重大的公共卫生问题。 还没有研究检查包虫病从感染到 包囊的发展。出于这个原因，没有关于 该病的免疫学反应及其可能的发展 对根除寄生虫或疾病发展的贡献。 这个项目有3个相互关联的目标。第一个目标是定义 按正常人口学、临床统计的包虫病自然病史 在患病率较高的人群中进行血清学调查。全 包虫病的各个阶段将在这一人群中表现出来。这个 第二个目标是构建(来源于人类AS的)cDNA文库 以及绵羊寄生虫)，从中克隆出一组编码E. 细毛虫特异性抗原和与特定阶段相关的抗原 将通过重组DNA技术识别和生产疾病。 最后，从研究人群中收集的血清将用于确定 用标准方法检测寄生虫抗原的体液免疫应答 血清学检测、新开发的免疫印迹检测、单一抗原 ELISA、同种异型和抗原捕获试验。重点将放在 关于抗原鉴定和可预测方法的发展 感染期间和自然感染后的疾病活动性和包囊存活率 或者是治疗方法。

With an estimated 200 cases of hydatid disease per 100,000 population, northwestern Kenya has the highest prevalence of echinococcosis in the world. In some areas of Turkana District, virtually every resident is exposed to E. granulosus. For some, hydatid infection results in life- threatening morbidity due to hepatic, pulmonary, cardiac, skeletal, or gastrointestinal dysfunction. Because of limited health care in the region and the recent reduction of control programs, hydatid disease represents a major public health problem for the Kenyan Health Service. No study has examined the course of echinococcal disease from infection to the development of cysts. For this reason there are no data on the development of immunologic responses to this disease and their possible contribution to eradication of the parasite or progression of disease. This project has 3 interrelated goals. The first goal is to define the natural history of echinococcal infection by regular demographic, clinical and serologic surveys in a population where the prevalence is high. All stages of hydatid disease will be represented in this population. The second objective is to construct cDNA libraries (derived from human as well as sheep parasites) from which a panel of clones encoding E. granulosus-specific antigens and antigens associated with specific stages of disease will be identified and produced by recombinant DNA technology. Finally, sera collected from the study population will be used to define the humoral immunological response to parasite antigens using standard serological assays, newly developed immunoblotting assays, single antigen ELISAs, and isotype and antigen capture assays. Emphasis will be placed on identifying antigens and developing assays capable of predicting disease activity and cyst viability during infection and after spontaneous or therapeutic cure.