Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-01T01:10:06.907Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Evaluation of an indirect fluorescence immunoassay for the detection of serum antibodies against Babesia divergens in humans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2006

D. DUH ,
M. JELOVšEK  and
T. AVšIČ-ŽUPANC
D. DUH
Affiliation:
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, Zaloška 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
M. JELOVšEK
Affiliation:
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, Zaloška 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
T. AVšIČ-ŽUPANC
Affiliation:
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, Zaloška 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Since an indirect fluorescence immunoassay (IFA) for the detection of specific antibodies against Babesia divergens in human sera is not commercially available, an in-house prepared B. divergens IFA for the examination of bovine sera was established for serological studies in humans. To determine whether the described IFA is appropriate for such studies, 2 B. divergens antigens (of human or bovine origin) were tested using serum samples obtained from febrile human patients with a history of ‘tick bite’. Sera from other species of animals infected with B. divergens, Babesia EU1, B. microti or B. canis were also included for comparative purposes. All serum samples were also tested using a commercially available IFA for the detection of antibodies against B. microti, and the results compared with those obtained using blood smear and molecular techniques. This study showed that the evaluation and standardization of a B. divergens IFA for testing human sera is critical and that different B. divergens antigens provide different end-point titres of antibodies, leading to false negative or positive results. Serological cross-reactivity between B. divergens and Babesia EU1 needs to be taken into account when interpreting IFA results.

Keywords

Babesia divergensBabesia EU1serodiagnosiscross-reactivity
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 134 , Issue 2 , February 2007 , pp. 179 - 185
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Chauvin, A., Valentin, A., Malandrin, L. and L'hostis, M. ( 2002). Sheep as a new experimental host for Babesia divergens. Veterinary Research 33, 429–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duh, D., Petrovec, M. and Avsic-Zupanc, T. ( 2001). Diversity of Babesia infecting European sheep ticks (Ixodes ricinus). Journal of Clinical Microbiology 39, 3395–3397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duh, D., Petrovec, M., Trilar, T. and Avsic-Zupanc, T. ( 2003). The molecular evidence of Babesia microti infection in small mammals collected in Slovenia. Parasitology 126, 113–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duh, D., Petrovec, M., Bidovec, A. and Avsic-Zupanc, T. ( 2005). Cervids as babesiae hosts, Slovenia. Emerging Infectious Diseases 11, 1121–1123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foppa, I. M., Krause, P. J., Spielman, A., Goethert, H., Gern, L., Brand, B. and Telford, S. R. ( 2002). Entomologic and serologic evidence of zoonotic transmission of Babesia microti, eastern Switzerland. Emerging Infectious Diseases 8, 722–726.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, J. S. and Kaye, B. ( 1991). Studies on the use of gerbil-derived Babesia divergens antigen for diagnosis of bovine babesiosis. Veterinary Parasitology 39, 215–224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, J., Von Stedingk, L. Y. and Granstrom, M. ( 2002 a). Zoonotic babesiosis. International Journal of Medical Microbiology 291, 108–111.Google Scholar
Gray, J., Von Stedingk, L. Y., Gurtelschmid, M. and Granstrom, M. ( 2002 b). Transmission studies of Babesia microti in Ixodes ricinus ticks and gerbils. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 40, 1259–1263.Google Scholar
Gray, J. S. ( 2004). Babesia sp.: emerging intracellular parasites in Europe. Polish Journal of Microbiology 53, 55–60.Google Scholar
Herwaldt, B. L., Persing, D. H., Precigout, E. A., Goff, W. L., Mathiesen, D. A., Taylor, P. W., Eberhard, M. L. and Gorenflot, A. F. ( 1996). A fatal case of babesiosis in Missouri: identification of another piroplasm that infects humans. Annals of Internal Medicine 124, 643–650.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herwaldt, B. L., Caccio, S., Gherlinzoni, F., Aspock, H., Slemenda, S. B., Piccaluga, P., Martinelli, G., Edelhofer, R., Hollenstein, U., Poletti, G., Pampiglione, S., Loschenberger, K., Tura, S. and Pieniazek, N. J. ( 2003). Molecular characterization of a non-Babesia divergens organism causing zoonotic babesiosis in Europe. Emerging Infectious Diseases 9, 942–948.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herwaldt, B. L., De Bruyn, G., Pieniazek, N. J., Homer, M., Lofy, K. H., Slemenda, S. B., Fritsche, T. R., Persing, D. H. and Limaye, A. P. ( 2004). Babesia divergens-like infection, Washington State. Emerging Infectious Diseases 10, 622–629.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunfeld, K. P. and Brade, V. ( 2004). Zoonotic Babesia: possibly emerging pathogens to be considered for tick-infested humans in Central Europe. International Journal of Medical Microbiology 293, 93–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunfeld, K. P., Lambert, A., Kampen, H., Albert, S., Epe, C., Brade, V. and Tenter, A. M. ( 2002). Seroprevalence of Babesia infections in humans exposed to ticks in midwestern Germany. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 40, 2431–2436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalman, D., Sreter, T., Szell, Z. and Egyed, L. ( 2003). Babesia microti infection of anthropophilic ticks (Ixodes ricinus) in Hungary. Annals of Tropical and Medical Parasitology 97, 317–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karbowiak, G. ( 2004). Zoonotic reservoir of Babesia microti in Poland. Polish Journal of Microbiology 53, 61–65.Google Scholar
Kjemtrup, A. M. and Conrad, P. A. ( 2000). Human babesiosis: an emerging tick-borne disease. International Journal for Parasitology 30, 1323–1337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
L'hostis, M. and Chauvin, A. ( 1999). Babesia divergens in France: descriptive and analytical epidemiology. Parasitologia 41, 59–62.Google Scholar
Malandrin, L., L'hostis, M. and Chauvin, A. ( 2004). Isolation of Babesia divergens from carrier cattle blood using in vitro culture. Veterinary Research 35, 131–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Precigout, E., Gorenflot, A., Valentin, A., Bissuel, G., Carcy, B., Brasseur, P., Moreau, Y. and Schrevel, J. ( 1991). Analysis of immune responses of different hosts to Babesia divergens isolates from different geographic areas and capacity of culture-derived exoantigens to induce efficient cross-protection. Infection and Immunity 59, 2799–2805.Google Scholar
Quick, R. E., Herwaldt, B. L., Thomford, J. W., Garnett, M. E., Eberhard, M. L., Wilson, M., Spach, D. H., Dickerson, J. W., Telford, S. R., Steingart, K. R., Pollock, R., Persing, D. H., Kobayashi, J. M., Juranek, D. D. and Conrad, P. A. ( 1993). Babesiosis in Washington State: a new species of Babesia? Annals of Internal Medicine 119, 284–290.Google Scholar
Skotarczak, B. and Cichocka, A. ( 2001). The occurrence DNA of Babesia microti in ticks Ixodes ricinus in the forest areas of Szczecin. Folia Biologia (Krakow) 49, 247–250.Google Scholar
Skrabalo, Z. and Deanovic, Z. ( 1957). Piroplasmosis in man. Documenta de Medicina Geographica et Tropica 9, 11–16.Google Scholar
Zintl, A., Mulcahy, G., Skerrett, H. E., Taylor, S. M. and Gray, J. S. ( 2003). Babesia divergens, a bovine blood parasite of veterinary and zoonotic importance. Clinical and Microbiology Reviews 16, 622–636.CrossRefGoogle Scholar