A double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of secreted antigen 1 of Babesia microti using hamster model

• DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2011.10.012
• Publication Date: 2011-11-10T04:59:57Z
• Authors: Yuzi Luo; Mohamad Alaa Terkawi; Honglin Jia; Gabriel Oluga Aboge; Youn-Kyoung Goo; Shinuo Cao; Yan Li; Longzheng Yu; Hideo Ooka; Ketsarin Kamyingkird; Tatsunori Masatani; Shoufa Zhang; Yoshifumi Nishikawa; Ikuo Igarashi; Xuenan Xuan
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Mice, Inbred ICR; Mesocricetus; Immune Sera; Blotting, Western; Antibodies, Protozoan; Antigens, Protozoan; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Cross Reactions; Babesia microti; Sensitivity and Specificity; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; 3. Good health; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Dogs; Babesiosis; Cricetinae; Animals; Humans; Cattle; Horses; Rabbits

A double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) targeting secreted antigen 1 of Babesia microti (BmSA1) was developed for detection of B. microti infection. The optimized DAS-ELISA was sensitive enough to detect circulating BmSA1 by day 2 post-infection, in sequential sera of a hamster infected with B. microti. This detection was 4 days earlier than antibody detection by indirect ELISA. The kinetics of circulating BmSA1 coincided with the profile of parasitemia. The specificity of this assay was evaluated using sera from animals experimentally infected with different species of Babesia. The DAS-ELISA had a higher sensitivity than the microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears for detection of the infection in hamsters. Taken together, these results indicated that BmSA1 could be a potential marker for surveillance of human babesiosis.