Assessment of Cephalopina titillator, different prepared antigens in diagnosis by indirect ELISA in serum and mucus of camels

     Cephalopina titillator infestation cause great economic losses where the infested camels show different clinical signs which varied from loss of appetite, decrease in body weights, and milk production to impaired breathing. In the current study, the prevalence of C. titillator was recorded by PM examination and indirect ELISA in serum and mucus samples as 26.27%, 83.33%, and 51.67%, respectively. Also, the study showed a highly significant relation between the sample sources (serum/mucus) and the antigen types (Excretory Secretory Products ESP, Organ's content Co, Crude Cr & Somatic So Ags) depending upon the obtained results by indirect ELISA. The usage of different antigens showed a significant variation in the obtained results by ELISA test, where Co Ag recorded the highest values followed by ESP and finally, So Ag showed the lowest values. The recorded results for indirect ELISA showed that the use of Co Ag for antibody detection in serum samples showed the highest significant values in comparison with other used Ags. Area under Curve (AUC) referred to a good diagnostic accuracy of ELISA test where it reached 0.73 for Co Ag and ESP. The obtained results illustrated moderate to high significant agreement between PM examination and ELISA test. The study concluded that using an indirect ELISA against different third instar antigens of C. titillator reported higher values in serum than mucus. The strength of antigen immunogenicity was arranged as: Co > Cr > ESP > So in serum, and it was ESP > Cr > Co & So in mucus. Also, the use of Co Ag for the serum samples in ELISA considered the most immunogenic one which enhance IgG production and recommends its use for early and accurate serodiagnosis of C. titillator infestation in naturally infected camels.