INITIAL FEASIBILITY STUDIES OF THE FAST-ELISA FOR THE IMMUNODIAGNOSIS OF FASCIOLIASIS

The Falcon assay screening test enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was adapted for the detection of antibodies to Fasciola hepatica excretion-secretion (FhES) antigens in various animal models. Pooled serum from 5 5-wk-old sheep infected with 400 F. hepatica metacercariae had high absorbance levels by 2 wk of infection and rose again at 8-10 wk. Pooled serum from 5 6-wk-old Holstein calves infected with 700 F. hepatica metacercariae had an increase in absorbance levels by 2 wk of infection, rising through 6 wk of infection. Rabbits with a primary F. hepatica infection (6-7 worms) developed antibodies to FhES by 3 wk of infection, peaking by 5 wk and remaining at high levels through the 16 wk tested. Mice with a primary F. hepatica infection developed antibodies to FhES rapidly, rising by 1 wk of infection and peaking 1-3 wk later. The sera from mice with a primary Schistosoma mansoni infection were also examined for the production of antibodies to both S. mansoni worm antigens (SmWWE) and to FhES. Antibodies to SmWWE rose by 5 wk of infection, peaking 1-3 wk later; the antibody levels to FhES rose at 6 wk with the absorbance values peaking 1 wk later and were always lower than those to SmWWE. This suggests that the anti-FhES antibodies in murine schistosomiasis mansoni may be due to cross-reactive antibodies to S. mansoni egg antigens.