Immunochromatographic Strip Test for Fasciola gigantica Diagnosis Using Rabbit Polyclonal Antibodies against rFgSAP2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48048/tis.2026.11848Keywords:
Serological detection, Diagnosis, Immunochromatographic strip test, Fasciolosis, Saposin-like protein 2Abstract
Saposin-like protein 2 (SAP2) plays a critical role in the survival of Fasciola species by disrupting the membranes of red blood cells. SAP2 is highly immunogenic and is abundantly present in the excretory-secretory (ES) antigens of both juvenile and adult stages of Fasciola spp. These characteristics make SAP2 a promising candidate for immunodiagnosis of both animal and human fasciolosis. Its strong antigenic properties also highlight its potential as a targeted biomarker for the detection of parasitic infections. Currently, the gold-standard diagnostic technique for Fasciola spp. infection involves the detection of parasite eggs through microscopic examination. However, this method has low sensitivity, particularly when egg counts are low, a situation commonly observed in chronic infections or following unsuccessful treatment. Therefore, this study aims to fine the alternative method, we developed and evaluated an immunochromatographic strip test using a rabbit polyclonal antibody (PoAb) against rFgSAP2 for the detection of fasciolosis. The recombinant Fasciola gigantica SAP2 (rFgSAP2) and rabbit PoAb against rFgSAP2 were purified and concentrated. The optimize pH and buffer were evaluated before constructing the immunochromatographic (IC) strip test. The IC strip test consists of rFgSAP2 conjugated with colloidal gold probes, protein A as a test line, and rabbit PoAb against rFgSAP2 as a control line. Both experimentally and naturally Fasciola gigantica-infected serum samples were tested using IC strips. Serum samples from thirty experimentally infected and thirty non-infected mice as well as from fourteen naturally infected and twelve healthy cattle were evaluated using IC strip test. The IC strips were dipped into the sample solution and observed the results within 15 min. These tests demonstrated sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, false-positive rate, and false-negative rate of 96.67%, 90.00%, 93.33%, 90.63%, 96.43%, 10.00% and 3.33%, respectively. Thus, the IC strip test could be used for the diagnosis of fasciolosis in cattle and humans in the future.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Novel immunochromatographic strip test for the detection of Fasciola gigantica
- The developed IC strip test exhibits high sensitivity (96.67%), specificity (90.00%), and accuracy (93.33%).
- This diagnostic tool demonstrates fasciolosis detection in both mice and cattle
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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