A MAb-based ELISA for detecting circulating antigen in CSF of patients with neurocysticercosis

A monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was evaluated for detecting circulating antigen (CAg) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with neurocysticercosis. CAg of Cysticercus Cellulosae was detected in 95 out of 116 patients with neurocysticercosis. Of the 21 neurocysticercosis patients in whom CAg was not detected, 14 had only higher density spots, 3 had one or two lower density spots and 4 had no obvious damage in their brain Computed Tomography (CT) scans. CAg was also not detected in CSF samples of patients with other diseases of the central nervous system. These included cerebral tumor, encephalopyosis, brain trauma, viral meningitis and cerebral hemorrhage. Detecting CAg with MAb-based ELISA is better than any previously available methods for the diagnosis of active neurocysticercosis.