Abstract
BackgroundSchistosomiasis japonica is an infectious disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum that seriously endangers human health. Domestic animals have important roles in disease transmission and goats are considered a primary reservoir host and source of infection. The prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis infections have significantly decreased in China, and a more sensitive, specific detection method is urgently needed. The aim of this study was to develop a real-time PCR assay for accurate detection of S. japonicum infection in goats.MethodsA real-time PCR method for detecting schistosomiasis japonica in goats was developed by amplification of a specific S. japonicum DNA fragment, and validated using a total of 94 negative and 159 positive plasma and serum samples collected in our previous study of S. japonicum infection. Both plasma and serum samples were evaluated by real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, 120 goat plasma samples from an S. japonicum-endemic area (Wangjiang) and 33 from a non-endemic region (Weihai) were collected and evaluated using our method.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity of the real-time PCR for detecting infected samples were 98.74% (157/159, 95% CI: 95.53–99.85%) and 100% (94/94, 95% CI: 96.15–100%), respectively. For the ELISA, sensitivity and specificity were 98.11% (156/159, 95% CI: 94.59–99.61%) and 90.43% (85/94, 95% CI: 82.60–95.53%), respectively. Further, we found positivity rates for S. japonicum infection in Wangjiang and Weihai of 8.33% (10/120, 95% CI: 4.07–14.79%) and 0% (0/33, 95% CI: 0–10.58%), respectively.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that our real-time PCR method exhibits higher sensitivity and specificity than ELISA and is a useful method for detection of S. japonicum infection in goats.
Highlights
Schistosomiasis japonica is an infectious disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum that seriously endangers human health
Plasma samples from 33 goats which grazed freely on farms were collected in Weihai city, which is a non-endemic area for schistosomiasis japonica in Shandong Province, China
The results showed that the positive detection rates were 100% (10/10) at annealing temperatures of 57 °C and 58 °C; the melting curve for the reaction had more than one peak at 57 °C
Summary
Schistosomiasis japonica is an infectious disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum that seriously endangers human health. Domestic animals have important roles in disease transmission and goats are considered a primary reservoir host and source of infection. The prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis infections have significantly decreased in China, and a more sensitive, specific detection method is urgently needed. Schistosomiasis is a significant infectious disease caused by trematode worms of the genus Schistosoma, which is a global public health concern. Domestic animals are the primary source of infection and play an important role in disease transmission. Given the significantly decreasing prevalence and intensity of infection in China, development of a diagnostic method with high sensitivity and specificity for testing domestic animals is critical for effective control of schistosomiasis japonica [8]
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