Research Note - Use of Synthetic Peptides Derived from Adult Worm Proteins of Schistosoma mansoni, in the Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis

It has become increasingly evident that in intestinal schistosomiasis, parasitological techniques frequently fail to reveal low-intensity infections. This happens in countries with a low level of transmission as Venezuela, where approximately 80% of individuals eliminate less than 100 eggs/g of feces. In this and other countries as China, control programs have incorporated serology as a way of improving diagnosis and treatment of the affected populations. Several serologic tests such as the circumoval precipitin test, indirect immunofluorescent assay, and immunoenzymatic assays with crude antigens, have been preferred among the antibody detection methods. However, none of them fulfill all of the following requirements: low cost, simplicity, high specificity and sensitivity, and correlation with active infection and worm burden. As alternative, the detection of circulating antigens such as the circulating cathodic antigen and the circulating anodic antigen by monoclonal antibodies have shown promising results only in areas of moderate and high transmission of schistosomiasis. Therefore, alternative methods need to be developed and synthetic peptides, either for the detection of antibodies or antigens, could be one of the approaches.