Giardiasis is a gastrointestinal infection of wide distribution that is more prevalent in childhood. Easy and rapid diagnosis of giardiasis is essential for reduction of this infection. This cross-sectional study included 62 children in which collection of saliva, stool and serum samples was performed. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was evaluated to detect IgA and IgG responses in both saliva and serum samples. Twenty-two children were positive for Giardia duodenalis infection by direct examination of faecal specimens, 20 non-infected and 20 infected with other parasites. Salivary and serum IgA and IgG responses against G. duodenalis infection were significantly higher in Giardia parasitized than non-Giardia parasitized children (p < 0.001). This concludes that specific salivary IgA may serve as a diagnostic tool and specific salivary IgG as a screening tool in monitoring the exposure of various populations to Giardia duodenalis. The advantage of salivary assays over serum immunoglobulin assay is being easy and non-invasive in sampling technique which is important especially for young children.
The present study was designed to assess the relationship between anti-schistosomal effect of the antimalarial drug mefloquine (Mef) and the oxidative stress status of Schistosoma mansoni infected mice. Forty mice were divided into eight groups (5 mice/group); control (I, II), infected (III, IV), Mef low dosage (200 mg/kg) (V, VI), and Mef high dosage (400 mg/kg) (VII, VIII). Mef (200 and 400 mg/kg) was administered orally as a single dose at days 14 and 35 post infection (PI). All mice were sacrificed after 8 weeks PI. Oral administration of Mef (200 or 400 mg/kg) at day 14 or 35 PI reduced the total worm burden by 84%, 78% and 94%, 85.7% respectively. Meanwhile, Mef treatment reduced egg load in the intestine and the liver. Following Mef (200 and 400 mg/kg) treatment to mice at day 14 or 35 PI, the oogram pattern showed complete disappearance of all immature and mature ova. Treatment of mice with Mef at the two tested doses significantly decreased the activities of ALT, AST, ALP and GGT enzymes as compared to infected untreated group. However, administration of Mef (200 and 400 mg/kg) at day 14 or 35 PI significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the MDA level and increased the levels of GSH and CAT as compared to infected untreated group. In conclusion, Mef is an effective curative anti-schistosomal and anti-oxidative drug as it alleviates the biochemical and the oxidative stress alterations. Also, Mef has schistosomicidal and ovicidal effects.
Schistosomiasis is a chronic disease with considerable social impact. Despite the availability of affordable chemotherapy, drug treatment has not significantly reduced the overall number of disease cases. Among other mechanisms, the parasite produces PGE2 and PGD2 to evade host immune defenses. To investigate the role of PGE2 and PGD2 in schistosomiasis, we evaluated the effects of L-161,982, Ah6809 (PGE2 receptor antagonists alone or combined with each other) and MK-0524 (PGD2 receptor antagonist) during prepatent Schistosoma mansoni infection. Drugs were administered intraperitoneally an hour before and 24 hours after infection of C57BL/6 mice with 100 Schistosoma mansoni cercariae. L-161,982, Ah6809, their combination and MK-0524 caused partial protection against pre-patent S. mansoni infection which was mediated by biasing the immune response towards Th1 phenotype. These results showed that blockade of PGE2 and PGD2 receptors confers partial protection against pre-patent S. mansoni infection in mice and that they may be useful as adjunctive therapy to current anti-schistosomal drugs or vaccines.
A field applicable diagnostic technique, the dipstick assay, was evaluated for its sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing human Schistosoma mansoni infection. A monoclonal antibody (mAb) against S. mansoni adult worm tegumental antigen (AWTA) was employed in dipstick and sandwich ELISA for detection of circulating schistosome antigen (CSA) in both serum and urine samples. Based on clinical and parasitological examinations, 60 S. mansoni-infected patients, 30 patients infected with parasites other than schistosomiasis, and 30 uninfected healthy individuals were selected. The sensitivity and specificity of dipstick assay in urine samples were 86.7% and 90.0%, respectively, compared to 90.0% sensitivity and 91.7% specificity of sandwich ELISA. In serum samples, the sensitivity and specificity were 88.3% and 91.7% for dipstick assay vs. 91.7% and 95.0% for sandwich ELISA, respectively. The diagnostic efficacy of dipstick assay in urine and serum samples was 88.3% and 90.0%, while it was 90.8% and 93.3% for sandwich ELISA, respectively. The diagnostic indices of dipstick assay and ELISA either in serum or in urine were statistically comparable (P>0.05). In conclusion, the dipstick assay offers an alternative simple, rapid, non-invasive technique in detecting CSA or complement to stool examinations especially in field studies.
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