Usefulness of concanavalin-A non-binding fraction of Strongyloides venezuelensis larvae to detect IgG and IgA in human strongyloidiasis

Glycosylated components from Strongyloides have an important role in parasite establishment and host recognition of these substances. Considering the sugar-binding capacity of lectins, such as concanavalin-A (Con-A), IgG and IgA detection in serum samples from strongyloidiasis patients was tested using different antigenic preparations. The total saline extract (SE) of Strongyloides venezuelensis filariform larvae was fractionated in Con-A column to obtain Con-A unbound (Con-A UF) and Con-A bound (Con-A BF) fractions. Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), area under the ROC curve (AUC), likelihood ratio (LR), and correlation coefficients were calculated. Con-A UF showed the highest diagnostic parameters for IgG detection (Se 95.0%, Sp 92.5%, AUC 0.99, LR 12.7) and high correlation (r = 0.700) with SE. Con-A fractions did not clearly demonstrate any usefulness for IgA detection. In conclusion, the results obtained demonstrate that Con-A UF is an important source of specific peptides efficient to detect IgG in strongyloidiasis immunodiagnosis.