Evaluation of excretory-secretory protoscolices, germinal layer and hydatid fluid antigens for diagnosis of hydatidosis

Echinococcus granulosus is the cause of zoonotic disease hydatidosis in humans and animals. Considering the importance of ruminants including sheep in preservation and transmission of the parasite to definitive hosts and humans, this study was conducted to preliminary evaluate the excretory-secretory products of protoscolices and the germinal layer in order to carry out serologic tests. In this study, the reaction of the antigen of the cyst fluid and the excretory-secretory products of the germinal layer and protoscolices was evaluated in the presence of serum prepared from sheep and mice infected by hydatidosis. Blood required for preparation of the infected and uninfected sera was collected from 100 sheep during slaughtering and the counterimmunoelectrophoresis test was carried out on blood samples. In sheep samples infected with hydatid cyst, 80%, 72% and 92% of the sera showed positive reaction using the antigens of the hydatid fluid, excretory-secretory products of protoscolices and the germinal layer respectively and in 5 samples of mice sera experimentally infected with hydatid cyst positive reaction was seen in 80% of sera using the hydatid cyst fluid, 80% using the antigen of the excretory-secretory products of protoscolices and 100% using the antigen of germinal layer. According to the findings of this study, the antigen of excretory-secretory products of germinal layer has a higher sensitivity in detecting infected samples which should be evaluated further in more detailed studies.