CURRENT DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES FOR CYSTICERCOSIS IN CATTLE AND PIGS

Taeniosis/cysticercosis complex is a significant public health problem worldwide. Control of this zoonotic disease requires a good diagnostic test to identify animals harboring live metacestodes. Meat inspection, which is the only public health measure implemented to control this human infections, is a poorly sensitive method to detect such infected animals. The need for diagnostic tests superior to meat inspection have led to the development of serological tests. Antibody detection diagnostic tests indicate exposure to infection and not necessarily the presence of an established, viable infection. But from the public health point of view only living metacestodes are important. Contrary to meat inspection and antibody detection methods, the monoclonal antibody (MoAb)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of excretory/secretory (ES) products indicate infection with live metacestodes The MoAb based antigen detection ELISA (Ag-ELISA) is much more sensitive to identify active infections of T. saginata and T. solium metacestodes.