[The Investigation of Antibody Presence in the Sera of Patients with a Suspicion of Cystic Echinococcosis by Using Indirect Hemaglutination Test (IHA)]

Today, cystic echinococosis (CE) is one of the most prevalent and spreading public health problem all over the world. It has been known that CE cause substantial economic losses at all over the world such as in Turkey. In this study, 85 patients who presented with a suspicion of CE to the serology laboratory of the Clinic Microbiology Department of the SSK Ankara Education Hospital between February 1996 and July 1997 were evaluated. The specific anti Echinococcus granulosus antibodies in the serum samples of patients were examined by a commercial indirect hemaglutination (IHA) test. Forty-six ((54.1%) of the serum which obtained from 85 patients were determined as seropositive. The seropositive ratio of IHA test was found as a 78.3%. The obtained values from data were compared with CE presence of the patients and found to be 100% parallel to 1/2560 titers. In this study, we concluded that IHA test is very confidential and important in the serological diagnosis of CE.