Circulating antigens in schistosomiasis: detection of 31/32-kDa proteins in sera from patients infected with Schistosoma japonicum, S. mansoni, S. haematobium, or S. intercalatum.

A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect 31/32-kDa schistosome proteins as circulating antigens in sera from schistosomiasis patients. A monoclonal antibody was used as a capture antibody and rabbit antiserum raised against purified 31/32-kDa proteins was the detecting antibody. Positive results were obtained with patients infected with Schistosoma japonicum (88%; n = 69), S. mansoni (80%; n = 56), S. haematobium (100%; n = 40), or S. intercalatum (94%; n = 65). Sera from uninfected Chinese and African individuals and from Chinese patients with trichinosis, cysticercosis, or paragonimiasis did not react in the assay. This ELISA appears to be valuable in diagnosing infections by all major human schistosome species.