Immunochromatography Lateral Flow Strip Enhancement Based on Passive Gold Nanoparticles Conjugation to Detect Schistosma haematobium Antigens in Human Serum.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and evaluate a lateral flow card for the detection of active Schistosoma haematobium infection. Methods: In order to prepare the immunochromatography lateral flow strip (ICLFS), antibodies purified from schistosomiasis were conjugated passively with gold nanoparticles using a potassium carbonate buffer. Results: The novel ICLFS was able to correctly identify 64 out of 67 samples of schistosomiasis, 6 out of 90 samples of other parasites, and 0 out of 27 control samples. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV) were 95.5%, 93.3%, 90%, and 91.4% respectively. Comparatively, the sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV of sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) conjugated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were 91.1%, 88.8%, 85.9%, and 84.4% respectively. The increased sensitivity and specificity of ICLFS produced superior results to those of sandwich ELISA. Conclusion: In conclusion, ICLFS is more beneficial and precise than sandwich ELISA for detection of S. haematobium infection at early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]