Usefulness of Hydatid Cyst Fluid of Echinococcus granulosus Developed in Mice with Secondary Infection for Serodiagnosis of Cystic Echinococcosis in Humans

The aim of this work was to assess the usefulness of hydatid cyst fluid (HCF) of Echinococcus granulosus, obtained from mice experimentally infected with hydatid cyst tissue homogenates, for the serodiagnosis of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in humans. The sensitivity and specificity of HCF obtained from mice for the detection of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in the sera of CE patients were compared with those of HCF from sheep and/or from a human CE patient by using immunoblotting (IB) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). HCFs obtained from three different host species all were highly useful for immunoblotting, and sera from 19 (95%) of 20 CE patients equally recognized the antigen B subunit (approximately 8 kDa). HCF from mice showed a cross-reaction with 9 of 20 alveolar echinococcosis (AE) sera (45%), whereas HCFs from two other host species cross-reacted with 14 of the AE sera (70%). Although 2 (10%) of 20 sera from neurocysticercosis (NCC) patients were false positive with HCF from both sheep and humans, none of these sera showed a positive reaction with HCF from mouse origin. ELISAs with HCFs from both mouse and sheep origins detected all 20 CE and AE sera; however, these ELISAs showed 45% (9 of 20) and 60% (12 of 20) false-positive reactions with 20 NCC sera, respectively. The presence of nonspecific human IgG in HCF obtained from a CE patient prevented us from applying it to the ELISA. HCF of E. granulosus, obtained from laboratory mice with a secondary infection with hydatid cyst tissue homogenates, appears to be highly useful for the serodiagnosis of CE in humans and may be useful in domestic animals.