Skip to main content
Log in

Specificity of routine parasite serological tests in autoimmune disorders, neoplastic disease, EBV-induced mononucleosis, and HIV infection

  • Originalien
  • Published:
Klinische Wochenschrift Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Sera from 120 patients with rheumatological disorders, neoplastic disease, infectious mononucleosis, and HIV infection, and from 30 healthy blood donors were tested for nonspecific reactivity in 13 routinely used parasite serological tests. Responses were detected in 3/30 healthy blood donors (10%) vs 25/120 patients (21%). Of 40 responses in these 28 responders most were weakly reactive, and 25 out of 40 responses were only at borderline level. Response rates were highest in patients with mononucleosis presumably due to heterophile antibodies. Only four patients had responses in at least two different serodiagnostic tests for the same parasitic infection. Response patterns indicative of a possible underlying, concurring, or superimposed parasitic infection, thus, were rare. Especially susceptible to nonspecific reactivity seemed to be immunofluorescent antibody tests for filariasis, schistosomiasis, and amebiasis. In conclusion, compared to healthy controls, false-positive serological responses seem to be more frequent in certain disease groups dependent on the test methods used. Second, the use of more than one serodiagnostic test for the same parasitic disease will substantially facilitate the identification of nonspecific reactivity. Third, for better defining the specificity of parasitological serodiagnosis, more studies should include control sera from patients with nonparasitic diseases that frequently show immunological abnormalities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

EBV:

Epstein-Barr virus

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

IHA:

Indirect hemagglutination

IIFT:

Indirect immunofluorescent antibody test

CIE:

Countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis

EIA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

References

  1. Abdalla SH, Kasili FG, Weatherall DJ (1983) The Coombs direct antiglobulin test in Kenyans. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg 77:99–102

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ambroise-Thomas P (1974) Immunological diagnosis of human filariasis: present possibilities, difficulties and limitations. A review. Acta Trop 31:108–128

    Google Scholar 

  3. Ambroise-Thomas P, Loizzo T, Desgeorges PT (1981) Bilharzioses humaines a Schistosoma mansoni,S. haematobium etS. japonicum. Sérodiagnostic par ELISA, immunofluorescence et hémagglutination indirecte. Ann Soc Belge Méd Trop 61:379–392

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ambroise-Thomas P, Kien Troung T (1972) La réaction d'immunofluorescence indirecte sur coupes de filaires adultes dans le diagnostic sérologique, l'étude épidémiologique et le contrôle post-thérapeutique des filarioses humaines. Unpublished WHO document WHO/FIL/72.101

  5. Barakat RM, El-Gassim EE, Awadalla HN, El-Moula A, Omer EA (1983) Evaluation of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as diagnostic tool for schistosomiasis. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg 77:109–111

    Google Scholar 

  6. Biggar R, Gigase P, Melbye M (1985) ELISA HTLV retrovirus antibody reactivity associated with malaria and immune complexes in healthy Africans. Lancet II:520–523

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chantler S, Devries E, Allan PR, Hurn BAL (1976) A rapid immunofluorescent procedure for the detection of specific IgG and IgM antibody in sera usingStaphylococcus aureus and latex-IgG as absorbents. J Immunol Meth 13:367–380

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chatterjea JB, Sen Gupta PC (1970) Haematological aspects of Indian Kala-azar. J Ind Med Ass 54:541–552

    Google Scholar 

  9. Curtain CC, Kidson C, Champness DL, Gorman JG (1964) Malaria antibody content of gamma 2–7 s globulin in tropical populations. Nature 203:1366–1367

    Google Scholar 

  10. Daniel-Ribeiro C, Druilhe P, Monjour L, Homberg JC, Gentilini M (1983) Specificity of auto-antibodies in malaria and the role of polyclonal activation. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg 77:185–188

    Google Scholar 

  11. Dar FK, Buhidma MA, Kidwai SA (1984) Hydatid false positive serological test results in malignancy. Br Med J 288:1197

    Google Scholar 

  12. Facer CA (1980) Direct Coombs antiglobulin reactions in Gambian children withPlasmodium falciparum malaria. II. Specificity of erythrocyte-bound IgG. Clin Exp Immunol 39:279–288

    Google Scholar 

  13. Freeman T, Smithers SR, Targett GA, Walker PJ (1970) Specificity of immunoglobulin G in rhesus monkeys infected withSchistosoma mansoni, Plasmodium knowlesi andTrypanosoma brucei. J Infect Dis 121:401–406

    Google Scholar 

  14. Greenberg AE, Schable CA, Sulzer AJ, Collins WE, Nguyen-Dinh P (1986) Evaluation of serological cross-reactivity between antibodies to Plasmodium and HTLV III/LAV. Lancet II:247–248

    Google Scholar 

  15. Greenwood BM, Herrick EM, Holborow EJ (1970) Speck-led antinuclear factor in African sera. Clin Exp Immunol 7:75–83

    Google Scholar 

  16. Healy GR, Visvesvara GS, Kagan IG (1974) Observations on the persistence of antibodies toE. histolytica. Arch Invest Med 5 [Suppl A]:495–500

    Google Scholar 

  17. Houba V (ed) (1980) Immunological investigations of tropical parasitic diseases. Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone

  18. Houba V, Allison AC (1966) M-antiglobulins (rheumatoid factor-like globulins) and other gamma-globulins in relation to tropical parasitic infections. Lancet I:848–852

    Google Scholar 

  19. Huntley CC, Costas MC, Williams RC, Lyerly AD, Watson RG (1966) Anti-gamma-globulin factors in visceral larva migrans. JAMA 197:124–128

    Google Scholar 

  20. Julian AJ, Logan LC, Norins LC (1969) Early syphilis: immunoglobulins reactive in immunofluorescence and other serological tests. J Immunol 102:1250–1259

    Google Scholar 

  21. Kager PA, Van Der Plas-Van Dalen C, Rees PH, Helmerhorst FM, Von Dem Borne AEGKr (1984) R Red cell, white cell and platelet auto-antibodies in visceral leishmaniasis. Trop Geogr Med 36:143–150

    Google Scholar 

  22. Kawabata M, Flores GZ, Izui S, Kobayakawa T (1984) IgM rheumatoid factors in Guatemalan onchocerciasis. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg 78:356–358

    Google Scholar 

  23. Knight R, Warren KS (1973) The interaction betweenEntamoeba histolytica andSchistosoma mansoni in mice. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg 67:644–651

    Google Scholar 

  24. Krupp IM (1974) Comparison of counter-immunoelectrophoresis with other serologic tests in the diagnosis of amebiasis. Am J Trop Med Hyg 23:27–30

    Google Scholar 

  25. Lindenschmidt EG (1984) Rheumafaktoraktivität als Störfaktor bei der serologischen Diagnostik spezifischer IgM-Antikörper. Immun Infekt 12:94–100

    Google Scholar 

  26. Lujan LR, Collins WE, Stanfill PS (1983) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serodiagnosis of Guatemalan onchocerciasis: comparison with the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. Am J Trop Med Hyg 32:747–752

    Google Scholar 

  27. Mahajan RC, Dutta DV, Chitkara NL, Agarwal SC, Chhuttani PN (1974) Sequential changes of immunofluorescence titres in hepatic amoebiasis. Ind J Med Res 62:7–10

    Google Scholar 

  28. Meurman OH, Ziola BR (1978) IgM class rheumatoid factor interference in the solid-phase radioimmunoassay of rubella-specific IgM antibodies. J Clin Pathol 31:483–487

    Google Scholar 

  29. Naot Y, Barnett EV, Remington JS (1981) Method for avoiding false-positive results occurring in immunoglobulin M enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays due to the presence of both rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibodies. J Clin Microbiol 14:73–78

    Google Scholar 

  30. Nash TE, Cheever AW, Ottesen EA, Cook JA (1982) Schistosome infections in humans: perspectives and recent findings. Ann Int Med 97:740–754

    Google Scholar 

  31. Pammenter MD, Roussouw EJ (1984) Serological techniques for the diagnosis of cysticercosis. S Afr Med J 65:875–878

    Google Scholar 

  32. Patterson M, Healy GR, Shabot JM (1980) Serologic testing for amoebiasis. Gastroenterol 65:581–587

    Google Scholar 

  33. Penalba C, Simonneau M, Autran B (1984) Auto-immunisation anti-érythrocytaire anti-I au cours du paludisme. Bull Soc Pathol Exot 77:469–480

    Google Scholar 

  34. Perrin LH, Mackey L, Aguado T, Lambert PH, Miescher PA (1979) Démonstration d'antigènes parasitaires solubles, d'anti-corps correspondants et de complexes immuns lors de malaria aiguë. Schweiz Med Wochenschr 109:1832–1834

    Google Scholar 

  35. Poels LG, Van Niekerk CC, Van Der Sterren-Reti V, Jerusalem C (1980) Plasmodium berghei: T-cell dependant autoimmunity. Exp Parasitol 49:97–105

    Google Scholar 

  36. Quakyi IA, Voller A, Hall AP, Johnson GD, Holborow EJ, Moody AH (1979) Immunological abnormalities in Caucasians with malaria. Immunol Lett 1:153–154

    Google Scholar 

  37. Reiter I, Weiland G (1983) Immundiagnostik tropischer Parasitosen. Diagnostik 16:20–26

    Google Scholar 

  38. Rosenberg YJ (1978) Autoimmune and polyclonal B cell responses during murine malaria. Nature 244:170–172

    Google Scholar 

  39. Schutte CHJ, Jackson TFHG, Visser PS, DeKock KN, Pretorius SJ (1983) False-positive reactions in the serological diagnosis of schistosomiasis. S Afr Med J 64:239–240

    Google Scholar 

  40. Seifried E, Pindur G, Stötter H, Porzsolt F, Rasche H, Erfle V, Hehlmann R, Heimpel H (1986) HTLV III antibodies and immunological alterations in hemophilia patients. Klin Wochenschr 64:115–124

    Google Scholar 

  41. Shaper AG, Kaplan MH, Mody NJ, McIntyre PA (1968) Malarial antibodies and autoantibodies to heart and other tissues in the immigrant and indigenous peoples of Uganda. Lancet I:1342–1347

    Google Scholar 

  42. Sheehan DJ, Bottone EJ, Pavletich K, Heath MCS (1979)Entamoeba histolytica: efficacy of microscopic, cultural and serological techniques for laboratory diagnosis. J Clin Microbiol 10:128–133

    Google Scholar 

  43. Shirodaria PV, Fraser BB, Standford F (1973) Secondary fluorescent staining on virus antigens by rheumatoid factor and fluorescein-conjugated anti-IgM. Ann Rheum Dis 32:52–57

    Google Scholar 

  44. Stamm WP, Ashley MJ, Bell K (1976) The value of amoebic serology in an area of low endemicity. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg 70:49–53

    Google Scholar 

  45. Tuokko H (1984) Comparison of nonspecific reactivity in indirect and reverse immunoassays for measles and mumps immunoglobulin M antibodies. J Clin Microbiol 20:972–976

    Google Scholar 

  46. Van Knapen F (1980) Echinococcus granulosus infection and malignancy. Br Med J 281:195–196

    Google Scholar 

  47. Vlaczak G, Hagedorn HJ (1979) Bedeutung von Rheumafaktoren für die IgM-Diagnostik der Syphilis. Verh Dtsch Ges Hyg Mikrobiol 32:98

    Google Scholar 

  48. Voller A, Draper CC (1982) Immunodiagnosis and seroepidemiology of malaria. Br Med Bull 38:173–177

    Google Scholar 

  49. Volsky DJ, Wu YT, Stevenson M (1986) Antibodies to HTLV III/LAV in Venezuelan patients with acute malarial infections. N Engl J Med 314:647–648

    Google Scholar 

  50. Weiss N, Hussain R, Ottesen EA (1982) IgE antibodies are more species-specific than IgG antibodies in human onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Immunol 45:129–137

    Google Scholar 

  51. Wilkins HA, Brown J (1977) Schistosoma haematobium in a Gambian community: II. Impaired cell-mediated immunity and other immunological abnormalities. Ann Trop Med Parasitol 71:59–66

    Google Scholar 

  52. Williamson WA, Greenwood BM (1978) Impairment of the immune response to vaccination after acute malaria. Lancet I:1328–1329

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Herrn Prof. Dr. Helmut Jusatz zum 80. Geburtstag gewidmet

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kern, W., Kirsten, C., Förster, P. et al. Specificity of routine parasite serological tests in autoimmune disorders, neoplastic disease, EBV-induced mononucleosis, and HIV infection. Klin Wochenschr 65, 898–905 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01745500

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01745500

Key words

Navigation