RESUMEN
Sheep erythrocytes were stabilised with glutaraldehyde tanned and fixed with formalin in the indirect hemagglutination test (IHA-GF) and sensitised with hydatid antigen for the diagnosis of human cystic echinococcosis (CE). The sensitivity of this method was compared to that prepared with fresh tanned cells (IHA-TA) in 278 sera from hydatid patients. The sensitivity of IHA-GF (87.8%) was higher than that of IHA-TA (85.6%), the difference being insignificant. Higher geometric mean titres were obtained by IHA-GF (1:13300) than by IHA-TA (1:11600). The use of two sorts of aldehydes proved to be a satisfactory method, showing high sensitivity, a very good specificity and some advantages. The sensitised cells retained their diagnostic effectiveness for at least 15-18 months when stored at 4 degrees C. The technique is inexpensive and rapid, allowing the testing of a large number of sera. The method reduces the variation of the results and improves the reproducibility of the test. When the minimal diagnostic titre-1:400 is used the specificity of IHA-GF might increase by 2.9% while the sensitivity might decline by only 1.4%. The IHA-GF demonstrated better immunodiagnostic characteristics than enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Latex agglutination test (LAT). The IHA-GF should be considered as an useful method in the range of classical diagnosis for the serology of CE. The clinical diagnostic potential should be increased by a combination of at least two tests: IHA-GF and ELISA or LAT.