Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of IgG, IgM, IgE and IgA against cysticercus cellulosae in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with neurocysticercosis

The objective of this study was to analyze different immunoglobulins classes (IgG, IgM, IgE and IgA) against Cysticercus cellulosae in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), through enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), correlating them to clinical and tomographic profiles in patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC). Eighty-five specimens of CSF were obtained from 43 cases with NCC (26 with the active form and 17 with the inactive form) and from 42 patients with other neurological diseases. The inactive form of NCC presented a profile in CSF similar to the group without NCC. The active form of NCC presented elevation of specific immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgE, and IgA) in decreasing order, with the highest values being detected among the cases with intraventricular cysts, or with inflammation signs in CSF or in those with multiple clinical manifestations. The highest sensitivity and specificity were obtained with ELISA-IgG (88.5% and 93.2%, respectively). This study confirmed the importance of ELISA in the immunologic diagnosis of NCC.