Development and evaluation of a new lateral flow immunoassay for serodiagnosis of human fasciolosis

Background: human fasciolosis is a re-emerging disease worldwide and is caused by species of the genus fasciola (f. hepatica and f. gigantica). human fasciolosis can be diagnosed by classical coprological techniques,such as the kato-katz test,to reveal parasite eggs in faeces. however,although 100% specific,these methods are generally not adequate for detection of acute infections,ectopic infections,or infections with low number of parasites. in such cases immunological methods may be a good alternative and are recommended for use in major hospitals where trained personnel are available,although they are not usually implemented for individual testing. methodology/principal findings: we have developed a new lateral flow test (serofluke) for the serodiagnosis of human fasciolosis. the new test was constructed with a recombinant cathepsin l1 from f. hepatica,and uses protein a and mab mm3 as detector reagents in the test and control lines,respectively. in comparison with an elisa test (mm3-sero) the serofluke test showed maximal specificity and sensitivity and can be used with serum or whole blood samples. conclusions/significance: the new test can be used in major hospitals in hypoendemic countries as well as in endemic/hyperendemic regions where point-of-care testing is required. © 2011 martínez-sernández et al.