Study on the diagnosis of Gnathostoma infection in cats by radioimmunoassay.

A diagnostic method for gnathostomiasis by radioimmunoassay was carried out. Antibody activity produced in cat serum against Gnathostoma antigen was measured by using solid phase method and 125I-labelled anti cat IgG antibody. The result showed that the antibody activity in cats infected with Gnathostoma spinigerum was significantly higher than those of the control group and the Toxocara infected cats even at the dilution of 1:10,000, except in the Opisthorchis infected group at the dilution higher than 1:400. The results in the present study seem to be promising for the diagnosis of gnathostomiasis. Cross reaction with other parasitic infections and the development for the higher specificity by this method is in progress.