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Abstract
Due to the unsatisfactory performance of parasitological diagnosis of human fascioliasis;
the use of immunodiagnosis based on the detection of anti-Fasciola antibodies is traditionally
used as a diagnostic alternative using total or purified parasite excretory-secretory
products (ESPs). Glutathione S-transferase (GST) protein, one of the F. hepatica ESP
components, possesses well-known roles in the detoxification of xenobiotic and endogenously
derived toxins within the host bile environment. GST has shown to be a good target
for vaccine or drug development against fascioliasis. The current study aimed to evaluate
the potential of GST protein purified from a soluble crude extract of adult flukes
as an antigen for serodiagnosis of chronic human fascioliasis by indirect ELISA. The
study included a panel of 116 serum samples collected from individuals with confirmed
fascioliasis, individuals carrying heterologous parasitic infections and healthy subjects.
The parasitological examination was used as gold standard and a previously optimized
ESP-ELISA was used to compare the performance of the GST-ELISA method. Results demonstrated
that GST-ELISA is 94.3% sensitive, 80.2% specific and exhibits a moderate positive
correlation (r = 0.555) and substantial agreement (k = 0.786) with the results obtained
with the ESP-ELISA method. Moreover, because no sera from patients with early F. hepatica
infection were available, GST-ELISA was then tested with sera from rabbits experimentally
infected with F. hepatica metacercariae. The assay was able to detect anti-Fasciola
antibodies as early as the 3rd week of infection (p < 0.0001) with peaks at 4th and
10th week post-infection.