Development of a Species-Specific Coproantigen ELISA for Human Taenia solium Taeniasis

<jats:p><jats:italic>Taenia solium</jats:italic> causes human neurocysticercosis and is endemic in underdeveloped countries where backyard pig keeping is common. Microscopic fecal diagnostic methods for human <jats:italic>T. solium</jats:italic> taeniasis are not very sensitive, and <jats:italic>Taenia saginata</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Taenia solium</jats:italic> eggs are indistinguishable under the light microscope. Coproantigen (CoAg) ELISA methods are very sensitive, but currently only genus (<jats:italic>Taenia</jats:italic>) specific. This paper describes the development of a highly species-specific coproantigen ELISA test to detect <jats:italic>T. solium</jats:italic> intestinal taeniasis. Sensitivity was maintained using a capture antibody of rabbit IgG against <jats:italic>T. solium</jats:italic> adult whole worm somatic extract, whereas species specificity was achieved by utilization of an enzyme-conjugated rabbit IgG against <jats:italic>T. solium</jats:italic> adult excretory-secretory (ES) antigen. A known panel of positive and negative human fecal samples was tested with this hybrid sandwich ELISA. The ELISA test gave 100% specificity and 96.4% sensitivity for <jats:italic>T. solium</jats:italic> tapeworm carriers (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 28), with a <jats:italic>J</jats:italic> index of 0.96. This simple ELISA incorporating anti-adult somatic and anti-adult ES antibodies provides the first potentially species-specific coproantigen test for human <jats:italic>T. solium</jats:italic> taeniasis.</jats:p>