Final report -- 1991-1993 : development of monoclonal antibodies to filaria specific antigens and their use in immunodiagnosis of lymphatic filariasis

Diagnosis is generally made by detecting larval forms of the parasite (microfilariae) in the bloodstream of the host. The objective of this research was to develop an antigen detection assay for the diagnosis of this disease. These studies involved production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to the filarial parasites and resulted in development of an assay that can be used to detect filarial antigen in sera from infected individuals. However, the goal of testing infected individuals was not fulfilled due to the emergence of several technical problems. Future studies will be conducted on infected individuals from an endemic area in Indonesia. The study also resulted in significant transfer of immunochemical technology to an Indonesian researcher. (Author abstract, modified)