Background: Hydatid disease, or cystic echinococcosis (CE), is a significant zoonotic disease with a global distribution, posing a major public health concern in both human and veterinary fields.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of a Nanogold beads-based ELISA for detecting circulating protoscolex antigen (PS Ag) in human hydatidosis.
Material and Methods: The present study included 71 serum samples, categorized into three groups: group 1 (n=31) confirmed CE cases, group 2 (n=16) individuals with other parasitic infections, and group 3 (n=24) healthy controls. PS Ag was prepared, followed by purification of polyclonal antibodies, which were divided into three fractions. One of them was conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and the second with gold nanoparticles, while the third remained unconjugated. PS Ag was detected using both Nano Sandwich ELISA (Nano-sELISA) and conventional Sandwich ELISA.
Results: Nano-sELISA demonstrated superior diagnostic performance compared to conventional Sandwich ELISA, with higher sensitivity (96.77% vs. 77.42%), specificity (93.75% vs. 75%), positive predictive value (PPV) (96.77% vs. 85.71%), negative predictive value (NPV) (93.75% vs. 63.16%), and diagnostic accuracy (95.75% vs. 76.6%).
Conclusion: The application of gold nanoparticles significantly enhanced the diagnostic accuracy of hydatid disease detection through improved sensitivity and specificity for circulating PS Ag. Nano-sELISA proved to be a promising and innovative diagnostic technique for human hydatidosis.