2%) was observed when detection of IgM antibodies to gut-associated antigens by immunofluorescent test (IFT). This IFT was applied in different areas of the State of S?o Paulo, Brazil, with no schistosomiasis and high prevalence for other helminth infections, such as ascaridiasis, trichuriasis, and enterobiasis [27]. There are various studies that assess selleck chemical Seliciclib the potential of different immunodiagnostic methods in populations [28�C31], and, even when applied in low endemicity areas, these immunodiagnostic assays show a good relation between sensitivity and positivity ratio but still cannot discriminate the active infection.Nonetheless, these methodologies have their own advantages when leading with low endemicity infections as confirmatory diagnosis.

That said, schistosome egg antigen (SEA) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) can be used as a complementary field-based method for monitoring infection. It performs well over a range of endemic settings and would be best applied to monitor the incidence of ��new�� infections in young children in environments where transmission was thought to be interrupted [21]. The most important point to be considered is that the use of different antigens in immunological methods can be applied as potential tools for the analysis of the chronological evolution of S. mansoni infection [32]. Recent analysis has shown that the antigens from different life stages as schistosomula, adult worms, and eggs can be markers for prepatent, acute and chronic phases.

Results from individual laboratories and, from multicentre trials, suggest that egg antigens provide greater diagnostic sensitivity and specificity than worm antigens for the detection of an infection [33, 34].It is clear however that diagnostic tests based on egg antigens should be postponed until egg laying is started. To obtain a positive result, the parasite cycle must be completed within the definitive host with the development of male and female adult worms, which reproduce and lead to the oviposition [35]. Also, although extracts prepared by homogenizing Schistosoma eggs contain a large Anacetrapib number of molecules, only a minority of the constituents of egg antigen might be released by viable eggs in vivo, as demonstrated in vitro [36], which can explain the low detection capability of an SEA-ELISA assay.On the contrary, others have shown that during acute phase of the disease there is an increase in anti-worm antibody titers, and this fact may be due to the production of antibodies specific for glycan epitopes that schistosome larvae and adult worms [37] have in common. Since 2004 there has been a remarkable increment in proteomics, especially for proteins that reside at the surfaces of schistosome in the mammalian host.