The serodiagnostic potential of recombinant proteins TES-30 and TES-120 in an indirect ELISA in the diagnosis of toxocariasis in cattle, horses, and sheep

PLoS One. 2019 Mar 14;14(3):e0213830. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213830. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Toxocariasis is a zoonotic disease that affects humans and animals alike. Although recombinant proteins are widely used for its diagnosis in humans, their performance in companion and production animals remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the serodiagnostic potential of the recombinant proteins rTES-30 and rTES-120 from Toxocara canis in an indirect ELISA for cattle, horses, and sheep. Serum samples collected from the animals were tested with indirect ELISA and Western Blotting using T. canis TES-30 and TES-120 recombinant proteins produced in Escherichia coli, as well as native-TES. In the ELISA, rTES-30 showed high serodiagnostic potential in sheep and horses (92.6% and 85.2%, respectively), while the sensitivity of rTES-120 was higher in cattle and horses (97.2% and 92.6%, respectively). Furthermore, a highly positive association was observed between native and recombinant proteins in seropositive samples, while a moderately positive association was observed in seronegative samples, probably due to the lower specificity of native TES. In conclusion, our study indicates that the use of recombinant proteins in an indirect ELISA is an effective tool for the serodiagnosis of toxocariasis in animals, with the choice of protein being species-dependent.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Female
  • Helminth Proteins / immunology*
  • Horses
  • Male
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology*
  • Serologic Tests / methods*
  • Sheep
  • Toxocara canis / immunology*
  • Toxocariasis / diagnosis*
  • Toxocariasis / immunology
  • Toxocariasis / parasitology

Substances

  • Helminth Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.7339016
  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.7339013
  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.7339007

Grants and funding

This study was partly funded by: Programa de Pesquisa para o SUS (PPSUS); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ); Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), finance code 001 to LMS.