ECHINOCOCCOSIS--RECOMBINANT ANTIGENS FOR SERODIAGNOSIS

估计每10万人中有200例包虫病， 肯尼亚西北部的棘球蚴病患病率最高， 世界 在图尔卡纳区的一些地区，几乎每个居民都是 暴露于E.颗粒状。 对一些人来说，包虫感染会导致生命的终结- 由于肝脏、肺、心脏、骨骼或 胃肠功能紊乱 由于有限的医疗保健， 地区和控制计划最近减少，包虫病 这是肯尼亚卫生部门面临的一个重大公共卫生问题。 没有研究调查过棘球蚴病从感染到死亡的过程。 囊肿的发展。 由于这个原因，没有关于 对这种疾病的免疫反应及其可能的 有助于根除寄生虫或疾病进展。 该项目有三个相互关联的目标。 第一个目标是定义 棘球蚴感染的自然史，按常规人口统计学、临床 以及在患病率高的人群中进行血清学调查。 所有 包虫病的各个阶段将在该群体中表现出来。 的 第二个目的是构建cDNA文库（来源于人， 以及绵羊寄生虫），从中获得一组编码E. 颗粒细胞特异性抗原和与特定阶段相关的抗原 将通过重组DNA技术鉴定和生产。 最后，从研究人群中采集的血清将用于确定 使用标准的抗寄生虫抗原的体液免疫应答 血清学测定，新开发的免疫印迹测定，单抗原 ELISA以及同种型和抗原捕获测定。 重点将 识别抗原和开发能够预测 在感染期间和自发感染后， 或治疗性治愈。

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.