Use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot for the diagnosis and monitoring of neurocysticercosis

Abstract

A total of 70 proven cases of neurocysticercosis from la Réunion (Indian Ocean) were studied with enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) and immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) to detect specific antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Absorbance levels of antibody to crude Taenia solium cyst extract as an antigen were compared with EITB banding-pattern and computed tomography-scan results. The EITB analysis of sera and CSF from patients with active neurocysticercosis, confirmed with characteristic brain-scan imaging and highest ELISA absorbance, regularly revealed two bands with molecular weights of 13 and 14 kDa, respectively. These low-molecular-weight fractions are potential markers of active cerebral cysticercosis, a result obtained in the simple epidemiological situation of La Réunion (Indian Ocean). A parallel study is underway in Madagascar, where cross-reactivities with other parasitic diseases, including Schistosoma infections, may interfere.