Serodiagnosis of fasciolosis in ruminants

Abstract

Various serological techniques including immunoprecipitation, indirect haemagglutination and the indirect fluorescence antibody test have been successfully applied for the detection of fasciolosis, mainly in experimental infections. Recently, the most frequently used assay is the ELISA technique with somatic or excretory-secretory antigens obtained from adult flukes. Further purification of such antigens has considerably increased both the sensitivity and specificity of the system. However, most data indicate that serodiagnosis is reliable in groups of naturally-infected cattle and sheep but cannot yet be applied for the detection of individually infected animals.