[Observation on antibody levels of rabbits infected with single sex cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum].

Nine rabbits infected with male S. japonicum cercariae (worm recovery 15-133, mean 53.1) and 9 rabbits infected with female cercariae (worm recovery 1-102, mean 36.1) were bled periodically until 1 year post-infection. The sera were tested by ELISA, LA and CHR for antibody detection. Results showed that the positive rates were 88.9%, 55.6% and 83.3%, respectively. The duration of positive reaction was 3-51 wk post-infection for ELISA, 4-17 wk for LA and 2-35 wk for CHR and the fluctuated results were obtained in ELISA while positive CHR and LA results usually remained stable. The above-mentioned results suggest that antibody detection methods should not be neglected due to its sensitivity although antigen detection methods are considered more favorable. For the surveillance of schistosomiasis in endemic areas where schistosomiasis is under control, antibody detection methods are still worthy of recommending for case finding of new infections.