Diagnosis of fasciolosis antibodies in Brazilian cattle through ELISA employing both native and recombinant antigens.

Bovine fasciolosis is a parasitic disease with a global reach. Coprological based on egg detection in fecal samples and liver inspection to evaluate the presence of the parasite is currently the gold standard for diagnosing chronic fasciolosis in cattle. However, these techniques are labor-intensive and ineffective during the acute phase of the disease. Serodiagnosis using native and recombinant antigens has become an interesting alternative in efforts to identify cattle fasciolosis. We evaluated cattle from abattoir (n = 139) and farms (n = 500) through liver inspection and coprological examination, respectively. Our laboratory team optimized and validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests based on somatic antigen, excretory/secretory proteins, and the recombinant antigen cathepsin L-1 to detect serum antibodies against fasciolosis in cattle. For animals from abattoir, 10 were positive for fasciolosis according to liver inspection. Both FhES and FhrCL-1 presented an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of 0.80, with a sensitivity of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.46-0.95) and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.38-0.90) and specificity of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.73-0.87) and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.80-0.92), respectively. For those cattle from farms, 28 were positive only for fasciolosis according to coprological examination. In this scenario, FhES gave the best performance, with an AUROC of 0.84, sensitivity of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.60-0.90), and specificity of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82-0.89). In conclusion, our study highlights the potential of serodiagnosis for accurately screening cattle fasciolosis. The promising sensitivity and specificity values of FhES when compared to liver inspection or coprological examination enhance its importance for cattle fasciolosis diagnosis. IMPORTANCE: The aim of this article was to identify antibodies against fasciolosis in cattle in Brazil. The methodology was reproduced in our laboratory and applied for the first time to the Brazilian cattle herd. The antigens tested can be used as a screening test and thus speed up the diagnosis of bovine fascioliasis.

Serological diagnosis of fasciolosis (Fasciola hepatica) in humans, cattle, and sheep: a meta-analysis.

Fasciola hepatica can cause problems in both animals and humans. Fasciolosis can be diagnosed through the indirect ELISA immunodiagnostic test. Serological diagnosis of Fasciola is based on recombinant antigens secreted by this worm. We used PubMed and Google Scholar databases to review the published literature on 'antigens with immunogenic potential' used in serological tests to identify antibodies against F. hepatica in humans, cattle, and sheep. Studies that investigated diagnostic tests with common reference standards were included in the sensitivity and/or specificity bivariate meta-analysis. In the quality and susceptibility to bias analysis of the 33 included studies, 26 fulfilled at least six (75%) of the eight QUADAS criteria and were considered good-quality papers. We found that most of the studies used native excretory-secretory antigens and recombinant cathepsin in ELISA tests for serological diagnosis of fascioliasis in humans, cattle, and sheep. The meta-analysis revealed that all antigens demonstrated good accuracy. The best results in terms of sensitivity [0.931-2.5% confidence interval (CI) and 0.985-97.5% CI] and specificity (0.959-2.5% CI and 0.997-97.5% CI) were found in human FhES. FhrCL-1, FhES, and FhrSAP-2 antigens gave the best results for the serum diagnosis of human and animal fasciolosis.