Detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in soil samples by enzyme-linked immunoassay

An ELISA protocol was adapted for detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in soil samples and the limit of detection of the test was determined. A modified indirect antigen capture ELISA protocol was developed using monoclonal antibodies against the oocyst outer wall. The accuracy of the ELISA was compared to spiked soil samples and measured in terms of sensitivity and specificity of the test. The performance of the ELISA was evaluated in field soil samples and measured using the kappa-statistics. Similarly, the performance of the ELISA was compared to the concentration flotation method, to a modified concentration flotation method and to a commercial ELISA (ProSpecT) in field fecal and soil samples. The limit of detection of the test was selected to be 10,000 oocysts/g. At this limit of detection, the ELISA had a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100%. The agreement between the ELISA and the modified flotation-concentration method in detecting Cryptosporidium oocysts in soil samples was 32% (kappa=0.32). The ELISA had the same relative sensitivity (82%) in comparison to both the flotation and ProSpecT in determining Cryptosporidium-infection status of an animal. The kappa-statistics was 0.26 for both tests. The developed ELISA proved to be a valuable diagnostic test for detecting oocysts in soil samples and has a potential application in determining the infection status of animals.