Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for coproantigen detection of Trichuris vulpis in dogs

Infections with Trichuris vulpis, the canine whipworm, may be challenging to diagnose even though characteristic bipolar eggs are shed by mature worms and may be recovered from feces. Decreased detection sensitivities because of using flotation solutions with specific gravities <1.3 and a lengthy prepatent period can lessen the diagnostician's ability to detect infection. Coproantigen detection in feces is becoming an accepted form of diagnosing parasitic infections and can circumvent some of the factors that affect egg recovery. The development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of whipworm-specific coproantigens in the feces of dogs with experimental and natural T. vulpis infections is reported herein. Whipworm-specific coproantigens were evidenced in feces from experimentally infected dogs using the newly developed ELISA starting as early as day 23 postinfection, while eggs were not detected in feces until day 69. In addition, 1,156 field fecal samples were tested using fecal flotation methods and the newly developed whipworm ELISA. Of these, 27 samples were found by flotation to be whipworm egg positive, while 35 had detectable antigen on the ELISA. Discrepant results were obtained in 12 samples; 2 egg-positive samples tested ELISA negative, and 10 ELISA-positive samples did not contain detectable egg levels. Using the fecal ELISA for the detection of whipworms in dogs should allow for earlier detection of infection, aid the identification of cases in the face of low egg shedding, and increase detection sensitivity as most commercial laboratories are using flotation solutions not optimal for T. vulpis egg detection.