Specific antibody responses to Taenia hydatigena, Taenia pisiformis and Echinococcus granulosus infection in dogs

SUMMARY: Groups of dogs reared free of both nematodes and cestodes were infected with Taenia hydatigena, Taenia pisiformis or Echinococcus granulosus. After infections with the Taenia spp became patent, dogs were purged to remove the worms. They were later reinfected and the second infections again removed by purging after patency. A group of 3 uninfected worm free dogs was kept as age‐matched controls. The dogs were bled at intervals of 5 days and their serums tested for antibodies using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with excretory/secretary (ES) antigens collected during in vitro incubation of evaginated scoleces (scolex ES antigen) and oncosphere antigens. Antibodies to scolex ES antigen were detected by 3 weeks after infection with each cestode species whereas antibodies to oncosphere antigen were not detected until about one week after eggs were found in the faeces of the infected dogs. Antibody responses to both oncosphere and scolex ES antigens decreased rapidly following removal of the worms by purging. Uninfected control dogs were invariably negative to both oncospheral and scolex ES antigens. There were cross‐reactions between the serums from dogs infected with T. pisiformis and T. hydatigena when tested with scolex ES antigens, but oncospheral antigens showed a high degree of species specificity. Scolex ES antigens from E. granulosus were compared with those prepared from T. hydatigena and T. pisiformis for their ability to discriminate between antibodies in serums collected from dogs 31 and 32 days after infection with 100,000 protoscoleces of E. granulosus or dogs infected with Taenia spp. Excellent serological discrimination was achieved with no cross‐reactivity detected between E. granulosus scolex ES antigen and serums from T. hydatigena or T. pisiformis infected dogs, or between the Taenia spp scolex ES antigens and serums from E. granulosus infected dogs.