Background: The aim of the study is to evaluate the IgG subclasses for the diagnosis and follow-up of hydatidosis disease.
Material and methods: 82 serum of 50 patients previously diagnosed of hydatidosis disease, were studied. This patients were divided into different groups depending on their symptomatology, and 10 serum of healthy individuals were tested for an indirect hemagglutination, and IgG subclasses were studied in all positive cases by an ELISA.
Results: IgG1 subclass was positive in 81 out of 82 patients. IgG2 and IgG3 subclasses were positive in 94.4% of symptomatic patients, in 100% of patients with calcified cyst or who had had no radical surgery, and in 0% of patients with calcified cyst or who had had radical surgery.
Conclusion: IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses can be used together for hydatidosis diagnosis, due to their high specificity and sensibility. IgG4 subclass becomes negative soon if there is a good clinical response by the patient, turns to be positive when there is a disease recrudescence, and keeps positive when residual cyst are left. All this makes IgG4 subclass a good marker in the hydatidosis follow-up.