Original article: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04389-x
Strongylus vulgaris is a dangerous parasitic worm that infects horses and related animals. It can cause serious blood vessel damage (called verminous aneurysms), which is hard to detect in the early stages. This study was the first to combine nanotechnology with a special blood test (indirect ELISA) to improve how accurately and sensitively we can detect this parasite in horse blood samples. PCR was also used to confirm the parasite’s identity.
Researchers created two versions of the test:
- A regular ELISA test
- A new nano-ELISA, which used gold nanoparticles (17.4–41.4 nm) attached to antibodies to boost the test signal.
Out of 120 tested horses, 100 (83.33%) were found to be infected with S. vulgaris. Both tests used proteins released by adult worms to detect the infection, and both were very specific—they didn’t react to blood from animals infected with other types of worms.
Importantly, the strength of the test signal (measured by optical density or OD) matched the severity of the infection:
- Regular ELISA:
- Mild (G3): OD 0.45–0.74
- Moderate (G2): OD 0.75–0.94
- Severe (G1): OD 0.95–2.5
- Nano-ELISA:
- Mild (G3): OD 0.40–0.84
- Moderate (G2): OD 0.85–0.99
- Severe (G1): OD 1.0–3.5
The nano-ELISA gave stronger and clearer results thanks to the gold nanoparticles. This shows that nanotechnology can greatly improve tests for parasitic infections in horses, helping vets diagnose and treat animals more effectively, and improving their overall health and care.