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Use of Polyclonal Antibody for the Diagnosis of Human African Trypanosomiasis

¹ Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Pan-African University Institute of Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation, Nairobi, Kenya
² Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
³ Production Department, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
⁴ Zoology Department, Jomo Kenyatta University for Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
⁵ Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
⁶ Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
⁷ Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
⁸ Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
⁹ Nagasaki University Institute of Tropical Medicine-Kenya Medical Research Institute Project, Nairobi, Kenya
¹⁰ Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
¹¹ Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Pan-African University Institute of Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation, Nairobi, Kenya
¹² Department of Microbiology, Jomo Kenyatta University for Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
¹³ Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Pan-African University Institute of Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation, Nairobi, Kenya
¹⁴ Nagasaki University Institute of Tropical Medicine-Kenya Medical Research Institute Project, Nairobi, Kenya
¹⁵ Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
¹⁶ Nagasaki University Institute of Tropical Medicine-Kenya Medical Research Institute Project, Nairobi, Kenya
¹⁷ Center for Biotechnology Research and Development, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
¹⁸ Centre for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya

American Journal of Molecular Biology·Volume 13 (2023)·Pages 127–139·Published 10 February 2023·DOI10.4236/ajmb.2023.132009

Abstract

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), commonly known as sleeping sickness is one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which is fatal if left untreated. Its diagnosis is a challenge since the signs and symptoms of the primary phase are not specific, the existing diagnostic methods have low sensitivity and specificity, and the available drugs have some toxicity. New, robust, and cost-effective techniques are needed for the early identification of parasites. This study aimed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of two different types of polyclonal antibodies against T. b. gambiense using antigen detection ELISA. Polyclonal antibodies against the expressed proteins Tbg I2 and Tbg I17 were produced using New Zealand white rabbits. The antibody titer measured was greater than 32 g/L after the 3 rd immunization for the expressed protein Tbg I2. For the expressed protein Tbg I17, the antibody titer measured was greater than 32 g/L after the 4 th immunization. The sensitivity and specificity of the Tbg I2 polyclonal antibody confirmed with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) as gold standard were respectively 89.5% and 80.6%, while for the Tbg I17 polyclonal antibody, the sensitivity and specificity were respectively 92.1% and 88.9%. The area under the curve for the Tbg I2 polyclonal antibody was 0.90 ± 0.032, while for the Tbg I17 polyclonal antibody, the area under the curve was 0.92 ± 0.0. The Tbg I17 polyclonal antibody produced in New Zealand white rabbits has good sensitivity and good specificity; it can be successfully used in the diagnosis of HAT.

KeywordsHuman African TrypanosomiasisPolyclonal AntibodyTbg I2 Expressed ProteinTbg I17 Expressed ProteinSensitivitySpecificity

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Use of Polyclonal Antibody for the Diagnosis of Human African Trypanosomiasis

Abstract

References (16)