Serodiagnosis of invasive amebiasis using a recombinant Entamoeba histolytica antigen-based ELISA

Amebic serology remains a critical component in the diagnosis of invasive amebiasis. A recombinant serine rich-Entamoeba histolytica-protein/maltose binding protein (SREHP/MBP) fusion protein was evaluated as the target antigen in an ELISA test to detect acute invasive amebiasis. Retrospective analysis of 65 serum samples from patients with amebic liver abscess and 40 asymptomatic control patients showed the SREHP/MBP ELISA test had a sensitivity of 74% and specificity of only 55% for the diagnosis of amebic liver abscess. This study was repeated under identical conditions using a purified recombinant SREHP cleaved from the MBP component. The purified recombinant SREHP-based ELISA had a sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 87%. Our data suggest a purified recombinant SREHP-based ELISA could prove useful in the serodiagnosis of acute invasive amebiasis.