Use of Recombinant CP2 and CP23 Antigens of Cryptosporidium parvum for Serodiagnosis of Human Cryptosporidiosis

Authors
Gholamreza Barzegar 1
Ehsan Ahmadpour 2
Bahador Shahriari 1
Rahmat Solgi 3
Mohammad Hossein Motazedian 1
1 Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3 Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
10.52547/ibj.3801
Abstract
Background: Cryptosporidium parvum is an important coccidian parasite infecting many mammals, including human. This parasite can manifest as chronic severe diarrhea in immunocompromised individuals, especially those with AIDS. The present study reports the recombinant production of recombinant (r)P2 and rP23 antigens of C. parvum as antigens for detecting human cryptosporidiosis using indirect ELISA tests.

Methods: The coding sequences of rP2 and rP23 proteins were codon-optimized, commercially synthesized and sub-cloned in the pET28a expression vector. The expressed proteins were purified by Ni-NTA column chromatography and confirmed by Western blotting. The efficacy of rP2/rP23 proteins for serodiagnosis was evaluated by positive (n = 20) and negative (n = 20) human sera, confirmed by the Ziehl-Neelsen staining as the gold standard test.

Results: In ELISA test, the sera from C. parvum-infected patients reacted strongly to rP2/rP23. The sensitivity and specificity related to the diagnostic potential of rP2/rP23 in the ELISA assay were 100%.

Conclusion: Our results showed that combination of rP23 and rP2 antigens in ELISA significantly increases the performance of C. parvum serodiagnosis in human cryptosporidiosis.
Keywords
Cryptosporidiosis
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Western blottingn