Serum circulating egg antigen levels in two areas endemic for Schistosoma mansoni

A monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detecting Schistosoma mansoni circulating soluble egg antigen (CSEA) was applied in epidemiological studies. The serum CSEA levels were determined for 2 populations with a high prevalence (> 95%) and high intensity of infection as determined by faecal egg counts. In one population (Maniema, Zaire) transmission had been occurring for several decades, while in the other population (Ndombo, Senegal) transmission had started only recently. CSEA could be detected in 88% and 70% of the serum samples from Maniema and Ndombo, respectively. The sensitivity of the CSEA assay increased with rising egg count. The age-related CSEA profiles of the Maniema population followed a pattern similar to that of egg counts and of the adult worm antigen CAA (circulating anodic antigen). However, the recently infected Ndombo population showed a clearly different profile: while the CSEA prevalence reached a peak in children and adolescents, the mean CSEA levels did not vary significantly in the different age groups. CSEA levels were significantly lower in Ndombo than in Maniema. As egg antigens in serum are thought to be in part, or even primarily, derived from eggs in the tissues, these findings indicate a relatively smaller tissue egg load in Ndombo than in Maniema.