[Correlation between intradermal reaction and immunoelectrophoresis in human hydatidosis]

The results obtained by the immunoelectrophoresis (IEP) aand Casoni intradermal (IDR) tests in a group of 50 hydatidosis patients in which the presence of cysts was later confirmed at surgery, are analyzed. The sensitivity of the IEP test was 74%; the IDR test was positive in 54% of these patients and there was no correlation between the results of the two tests in 24% of the cases. The low sensitivity observed for the IDR test, its known nonspecificity and its poor correlation with IEP test results do not enable us to recommend its use for the diagnosis of hydatid disease or for the selection of cases in which an immunodiagnostic confirmation is feasible. This recommendation would be possible if appropriate antigens regarding specificity and reactivity were available, and could be employed with standardized methods to read and evaluate cutaneous reactivity.