Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is an important cause of neurological disease worldwide. A 10-kDa antigen of Taenia solium metacestodes (TsMs) has been shown to be specific for immunodiagnosis of NCC. Screening of a TsM complementary DNA (cDNA) library isolated a cDNA encoding this protein. The cloned cDNA contained a 258-bp complete open-reading frame that encodes an 86-amino acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular weight of 9582 Da. It showed 73% homology with a 10-kDa antigen of T. crassiceps.

more »

... The recombinant protein was expressed bacterially as a fusion protein at a high level. In immunoblot with recombinant protein, 97% (184/190) of sera from patients with active NCC showed strong reactivity, whereas 14% (4/29) of those from patients with chronic calcified NCC reacted weakly. In 180 sera from other patients with parasitic infections and from normal controls, it showed 98% specificity. A single recombinant TsM antigen has a high potential for serological differentiation of active NCC. Neurocysticercosis (NCC), which is caused by infection of the central nervous system with Taenia solium metacestodes (TsMs), is a major cause of neurological diseases in Asia, Africa, and Latin America [1] [2] [3] . Surveys in areas where it is endemic show that it is of public health concern, since it causes considerable mortality, chronic morbidity, and economic losses [3, 4] . Substantial evidence has shown that up to 50% of late-onset epilepsy is due to NCC [3-6]. In the United States, 11000 cases of NCC are encountered each year, mostly in immigrants [3, 7] . Diagnosis of NCC can be achieved with a high degree of accuracy by brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI) [8] [9] [10] . These methods are, however, expensive and inaccessible in most areas where NCC is endemic. Moreover, because the number, size, and location of NCC lesions vary and the stage of infection is often unknown, imaging diagnosis of NCC is ambiguous in many patients. The development of immunological tests that detect specific antibodies