Dataset Information

Diagnostic urinary cfDNA detected in human cystic echinococcosis.

ABSTRACT: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a major neglected tropical zoonotic disease caused by the tissue-dwelling larval stage of the cestode parasite Echinococcus granulosus. For individuals suspected of CE, the diagnostic standard is imaging using ultrasonography, X rays, or computed tomography. These resource-demanding and expensive procedures are rarely available in endemic rural areas where CE is most prevalent. There is a critical need for a new approach to identify CE patients so that they can be managed early in the course of their infection. This study reports on the results of a diagnostic approach that identifies E. granulosus-derived cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the urine of CE patients. Utilizing PCR to amplify a fragment of a major tandem repeat element found in E. granulosus nuclear DNA, urine samples from all seven imaging-confirmed CE patients who harbored active liver cysts were positive. In addition, the urine samples from 2/4 patients who presented with non-viable/calcified liver cysts were also PCR positive for the repeat fragment. To our knowledge, this is the first report of using parasite cfDNA from urine to diagnose CE. This approach provides an easy to implement and cost-effective method to survey for the prevalence of E. granulosus in humans populations.

SUBMITTER: Toribio L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8801304 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Diagnostic urinary cfDNA detected in human cystic echinococcosis.

Toribio Luz L Santivanez Saul S Scott Alan L AL Enriquez Raul R Sedano Cesar C Soto-Becerra Percy P Garcia Hector H HH Shiff Clive J CJ

Molecular and biochemical parasitology 20200828

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a major neglected tropical zoonotic disease caused by the tissue-dwelling larval stage of the cestode parasite Echinococcus granulosus. For individuals suspected of CE, the diagnostic standard is imaging using ultrasonography, X rays, or computed tomography. These resource-demanding and expensive procedures are rarely available in endemic rural areas where CE is most prevalent. There is a critical need for a new approach to identify CE patients so that they can be m ...[more]

PMID: 32866606

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Project description:BackgroundClinical diagnosis and follow up of cystic echinococcosis (CE) are based on imaging complemented by serology. Several immunodiagnostic tests are commercially available, but the development of new tools is still needed to overcome the lack of standardization of the target antigen, generally consisting of a crude extract of Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst fluid. In a previous work, we described a chromatographic method for the preparation of a highly enriched Antigen 5 fraction from hydatid cyst fluid. The high reactivity of patient sera against this preparation prompted us to evaluate further this antigen for the serodiagnosis of CE on a larger cohort of samples.Methodology/principal findingsA total of 327 sera from CE patients with heterogeneous conditions for cyst stage, cyst number, organ localization, drug therapy, and surgical intervention, together with 253 sera from healthy controls, were first analyzed by an ELISA based on the Ag5 preparation in two different experimental setups and, in parallel, by a commercial ELISA routinely used in clinical laboratories for CE serodiagnosis. The Ag5 ELISAs revealed different sensitivity (88.3% vs 95.3%) without significant differences in specificity (94.1% vs 92.5%), for the two setups, respectively. Moreover, possible relationships between the Ag5 ELISA absorbance results and clinical variables were investigated. Chi squared test, bivariate logistic regression and multiple regression analyses highlighted differences in the serology reactivity according to pharmacological treatment, cyst activity, and cyst number.Conclusions/significanceThe two Ag5 ELISAs revealed different performances depending on the setup. The good diagnostic sensitivity and the high reliability of the Ag5 preparation method make this antigen a promising candidate for the serodiagnosis of CE. Further studies will be needed to evaluate the ability of our test to provide useful information on specific CE clinical traits.

Dataset Information

Diagnostic urinary cfDNA detected in human cystic echinococcosis.

Publications

Diagnostic urinary cfDNA detected in human cystic echinococcosis.

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