[Demonstration of Precipitating antibodies in patients with echinococcosis using a counter immunoelectrophoresis (author's transl)].

A counter immunoelectrophoresis was used for the demonstration of antibodies to echinococci. The antigen was prepared from hydatid fluid obtained from liver cysts of sheep. After concentration the antigenic material contained 1800 to 2900 micrograms of nitrogen per milliliter fluid. One or more precipitating lines were regarded as positive. Serum samples of 184 patients with surgically proven echinococcosis gave positive results in 80,4% of the cases. Among them, patients with hydatid disease of the liver were positive in 83,2% of the cases, and patients with hydatid disease of the lung were positive in 78,6 of the cases. The arithmetric mean of the number of lines was 2,4. Sera of 1182 patients with other diseases (among others diseases of the gastro-intestinal and respiratory tract, allergies, neuro-psychiatric, gynecologic and parasitic diseases) reached in 4,6% of the cases with the formation of precipitating lines. The described test is simple to perform, it can be read after a short period of time and it can be used as a screening test for mass case finding.