PROF. KANGETHE ERASTUS KIAMBI
BVM(University of Nairobi), M.Sc. (Bristol, United Kingdom) and a Ph.D. (University of Nairobi)
P.O. Box 29053-00625, Kabete mobile:+254-722-363873, ekangethe@uonbi.ac.ke
P.O. Box 29053-00625, Kabete mobile:+254-722-363873, ekangethe@uonbi.ac.ke
{
An ante-mortem antigen ELISA based diagnosis of Taenia saginata cysticercosis was studied in artificially (n=24) and naturally (n=25) infected cattle with the objective of further validating the assay as a field diagnostic test. Based on total dissection as the definitive method of validity, the assay minimally detected 14 live cysticerci in artificially infected calves and 2 in natural infected steers. In natural infections, the minimum number of live cysticerci consistently detected by Ag-ELISA was 5 while in artificially infected calves it was above14. However, other animals with 12 and 17 live cysticerci in artificially infected calves and 1 and 2 in naturally infected steers escaped detection for unknown reasons. Animals harboring dead cysticerci gave negative results in the assay as were the case in non infected experimental control calves. There was a statistically significant positive linear correlation between Ag-ELISA optical density values and burdens of live cysticerci as obtained by total dissection of both artificially and natural infected calves (r=o.798
n/a