Abstract
BackgroundTrichinellosis is a meat-borne zoonotic disease caused by parasites of the genus Trichinella. To date, 12 taxa have been described. The identification of Trichinella species is crucial in order to identify the possible source of infection, the geographical origin of the parasite and to assess risk of infection for domestic pigs and humans. Specific identification of the etiological agent is not always feasible using direct methods since the source of infection can be untraceable. The aim of this study was to develop a diagnostic tool to infer the causative Trichinella species using western blot patterns of sera derived from infected animal and human hosts.MethodsSera from mice experimentally infected with Trichinella spiralis, Trichinella britovi, Trichinella pseudospiralis and Trichinella papuae were tested by western blot using homologous and heterologous crude worm extracts (CWE) and a highly sensitive detection system based on chemiluminescence. In addition, sera from pigs experimentally infected with T. spiralis, T. britovi and T. pseudospiralis and from patients with confirmed T. spiralis, T. britovi and T. pseudospiralis infections, were also included.ResultsSera from mice infected with one Trichinella species reacted with CWE proteins from all four investigated species. Likewise, sera derived from pigs and humans infected with one Trichinella species reacted with CWE proteins from all the three investigated species. Using T. spiralis CWE, sera from T. pseudospiralis-infected hosts yielded a characteristic pattern of reactivity using Wb, which differed to that produced by T. spiralis/T. britovi- or T. papuae-infected host sera.ConclusionsThe present study suggests that western blot using T. spiralis CWE may be a useful tool to distinguish Trichinella infections caused by T. pseudospiralis from those caused by T. spiralis or T. britovi. This method may support epidemiological investigations, particularly when the source of infection is not traceable.
Highlights
Trichinellosis is a meat-borne zoonotic disease caused by parasites of the genus Trichinella
Western blot (Wb) reactivity of T. spiralis, T. britovi, T. pseudospiralis and T. papuae murine sera with homologous and heterologous crude worm extracts (CWE) Sera from mice infected with a given Trichinella species reacted with CWE from the other three species by Wb; the patterns of reactivity were different for both band intensity and presence/absence of bands (Fig. 2)
Wb reactivity of sera from pigs infected with T. spiralis, T. britovi and T. pseudospiralis with T. spiralis CWE Given that T. spiralis is the species generally maintained in laboratory mice and used to produce antigens for the serological detection of Trichinella species, we focused on the reactivity of sera from pigs infected with T. spiralis, T. britovi and T. pseudospiralis with T. spiralis CWE
Summary
Trichinellosis is a meat-borne zoonotic disease caused by parasites of the genus Trichinella. The identification of Trichinella species is crucial in order to identify the possible source of infection, the geographical origin of the parasite and to assess risk of infection for domestic pigs and humans. The aim of this study was to develop a diagnostic tool to infer the causative Trichinella species using western blot patterns of sera derived from infected animal and human hosts. Gómez-Morales et al Parasites & Vectors (2018) 11:631 and Western blot (Wb) as a confirmatory assay based on excretory/secretory antigens (ESA), are the most commonly used tools to diagnose human trichinellosis [3, 4] and to monitor Trichinella spp. infection in animals [5,6,7,8]. ELISA can be used to monitor infection in domestic pigs and wildlife populations; a confirmatory test, such as Wb, should be performed to confirm ELISA positive sera [9]
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