Cross-sectional serological survey of human fascioliasis in Haiti

Abstract

Fasciola hepatica, the aetiological agent of fascioliasis in the Caribbean region, occurs throughout the major islands of the Greater Antilles and in localised zones on two islands (Martinique and Saint Lucia) of the Lesser Antilles. However, apart from Puerto Rico, information regarding human fascioliasis in islands of the Caribbean is out of date or unavailable, or even nonexistent as in Haiti. The authors conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional serological survey in Port-au-Prince using a Western blotting test (LDBIO Diagnostics) on human fascioliasis in Haiti. A total of 216 serum samples obtained from apparently healthy adults were tested. The frequency of antibodies in serum samples of the study population was 6.5 (14/216). The immunodominant bands recognised in Western blots were 27-28kDa (100), 42kDa (64), 60kDa, and 8-9kDa (28). This is the first survey to reveal a relatively low proportion of asymptomatic F. hepatica-infected humans in Haiti.