Observations on the effects of cysticercosis immune sera on cysticercosis by scanning electronmicroscopy.

Two antigens of Taenia solium cysticercus, cystic fluid antigen (CFA) and the culture medium antigen (CMA), were used respectively to immunize rabbits in order to obtain immunosera. The CMA immunoserum added to culture medium with cysticerci limited the activities of the bladder worms. By using the scanning electronmicroscope, we could observe particulate deposits on the surface of the scolices, suckers and necks of the worms. The CFA immunoserum group showed similar changes but the deposit was less than that on the worms in the former group and appeared mainly on the cystic wall. After adding complement to the two groups mentioned above, we found that the microcilia on the surface of the worms were swollen and were seriously damaged. The worms treated with praziquantel were damaged over large area of their surfaces and were affected deep into their tissues. The damaged parts of the worms were quite different between the two groups. CMA is secreted by the living worms and therefore the serum antibodies are more effective than CFA in anti-parasite activity.

Tapeworm infection resulting from pork eaten at a wedding banquet.

Forty-five people who had attended a wedding banquet were examined by means of both Avidin-Biotin Peroxidase Complex-ELISA (ABC-ELISA) and Kato stool thick smear technic. The results revealed that the positive rates with ABC-ELISA were 15.56% (7/45) and Kato Katz 0.62% (1/161). There was a significant difference between the two positive rates (p < 0.005). Six people at the wedding had taeniasis and 4 of them also had cysticercosis. Local people have no habit of eating uncooked pork, but at this banquet the meat from an infected cysticerci pig was used for preparing dishes for the wedding feast and the cold dishes were contaminated by the bladder worms as the result of using the same chopping block.

A study on the culture medium antigens of Cystcercus cellulosae for detecting antibodies of cysticercosis by means of ABC-ELISA.

Two antigens of Cysticercus cellulosae, cystic fluid antigen (CFA) and the culture medium antigen (CMA), were used in Avidin-Biotin Peroxdase Complex-ELISA (ABC-ELISA) to detect IgG antibodies in 45 cases of cysticercosis treated with praziquantel. The results revealed the total positive rates as 51.11% with CMA and 82.22% with CFA. The positive rates in the cases treated within 2 courses of treatment were 79.17% for CMA and 87.50% for CFA, and only 19.05% for CMA and 71.43% for CFA in the cases treated for more then 3 courses. The fact that the positive rates decreased as the courses of treatment increased showed that the sensitivity of CMA might be related to the vital conditions of the worms in the body, whether alive or dead. It is, therefore, recommended that CMA has the potential to be employed in ABC-ELISA both as an indicator for diagnosing cysticercosis and as a reference for the evaluation of the treatment.