Evaluation of copromicroscopy, multiplex-qPCR and antibody serology for monitoring of human ascariasis in endemic settings.

Autor: Mugo RM; Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Rausch S; Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Musimbi ZD; Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Strube C; Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany., Raulf MK; Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany., Landt O; TIB Molbiol Syntheselabor GmbH, Berlin, Germany., Gichuki PM; Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research, Nairobi, Kenya., Ebner F; Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Department of Molecular Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany., Mwacharo J; KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya., Odiere MR; Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya., Ndungu FM; KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom., Njomo DW; Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control, Kenya Medical Research, Nairobi, Kenya., Hartmann S; Institute of Immunology, Centre for Infection Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: PLoS neglected tropical diseases [PLoS Negl Trop Dis] 2024 Jun 18; Vol. 18 (6), pp. e0012279. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jun 18 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012279
Abstrakt: Background: The standard diagnosis of Ascaris lumbricoides and other soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections relies on the detection of worm eggs by copromicroscopy. However, this method is dependent on worm patency and shows only limited accuracy in low-intensity infection settings. We aimed to decipher the diagnostic accuracy of different antibodies using various Ascaris antigens in reference to copromicroscopy and quantitative PCR (qPCR), four months after national STH preventative chemotherapy among school children in western Kenya.
Methodology: STH infection status of 390 school children was evaluated via copromicroscopy (Kato-Katz and mini-FLOTAC) and qPCR. In parallel, Ascaris-specific antibody profiles against larval and adult worm lysates, and adult worm excretory-secretory (ES) products were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antibody cross-reactivity was evaluated using the closely related zoonotic roundworm species Toxocara cati and Toxocara canis. The diagnostic accuracy of each antibody was evaluated using receiver operating curve analysis and the correspondent area under the curve (AUC).
Principal Findings: Ascaris was the predominant helminth infection with an overall prevalence of 14.9% (58/390). The sensitivity of mini-FLOTAC and Kato-Katz for Ascaris diagnosis reached only 53.5% and 63.8%, respectively compared to qPCR. Although being more sensitive, qPCR values correlated with microscopic egg counts (R = -0.71, P<0.001), in contrast to antibody levels. Strikingly, IgG antibodies recognizing the ES products of adult Ascaris worms reliably diagnosed active Ascaris infection as determined by qPCR and microscopy, with IgG1 displaying the highest accuracy (AUC = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75-0.91).
Conclusion: IgG1 antibody responses against adult Ascaris-ES products hold a promising potential for complementing the standard fecal and molecular techniques employed for monitoring Ascaris infections. This is of particular importance in the context of deworming programs as the antibody diagnostic accuracy was independent of egg counts.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright: © 2024 Mugo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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