[Fasciola hepatica antigens. Use in the diagnosis of human fascioliasis]. / Antígenos de Fasciola hepatica. Su utilidad en el diagnóstico de la fasciolasis humana.

The ELISA technique was standardized for detecting antibodies against Fasciola in 25 serum samples from patients-infected with Fasciola hepatica using excretion-secretion antigens (ESA), tegument antigen and somatic antigen. A study was made of serum samples from 46 patients with other parasites such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Entamoeba histolytica, Schistosoma mansoni and Giardia lamblia. The cohort value for each trial was established after studying 100 serum samples from healthy people as negative controls taking as criterion the mean optical density plus 2 standard deviations from the mean. Regarding this group and using ESA, we obtained specificity and sensitivity.

[Identification and isolation of common antigens of Fasciola hepatica]. / Identificación y aislamiento de antígenos comunes de Fasciola hepatica.

Four antigenic polypeptides present in excretion-secretion antigens which were common to Fasciola hepatica somatic and tegumentary antigens, were identified by Western blotting and purified by affinity chromatography. Monoclonal antibody ES78 was used to that purpose. Molecular weights calculated for these polypeptides ranged from 37 to 13 kd; they proved to be highly reactive with sera from animals experimentally infected by Fasciola hepatica in periods as early as the second week of infection, with maximal values in weeks 6 and 10.