Detection of the circulating antigen 14-3-3 protein of Schistosoma japonicum by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay in rabbits

Abstract. background: schistosomiasis remains a major public health concern that afflicts millions of people worldwide. low levels of schistosoma infection require more sensitive diagnostic methods. in this study,a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (trfia) was developed for detecting the signal transduction protein 14-3-3,a circulating antigen of schistosoma japonicum. results: the detection limit of 14-3-3-trfia was 0.78 ng/ml,with a linear measurement range from 0.78 to 800 ng/ml. the average intra-assay and inter-assay variability of this trfia was 8.9% and 12.2% respectively,and the mean recovery rate ranged from 92.1% to 115.5%. within the first 21 days post-infection in rabbits,the positive rates of the 14-3-3-trfia were distinctly higher compared to elisa. all these findings illustrate that 14-3-3-trfia has a higher detection efficacy and is a good early diagnostic method for active schistosoma infection. conclusions: a sandwich trfia for detecting the circulating antigen 14-3-3 of s. japonicum has been developed,and has demonstrated to be a good potential diagnostic method for schistosomiasis. © 2011 qian et al; licensee biomed central ltd.