The crude or fractionated sterile hydatid cyst fluid obtained from cattle may be used as antigen in a variety of immunoassays. For improving the efficacy of immunodiagnosis of hydatid diseasis in cattles, the purification and characterization of hydatid cyst fluid

○ INTRODUCTION Hydatidosis is a silent, cyclozoonotic and oldest infection of man and domestic animals and is caused by larvae of the cestode, Echinococcus (Bhatia and Pathak, 1990). The infected human beings and animals loose their normal functional capacities leading to huge economic losses. The diagnosis of hydatid disease is based on clinical, radiological, microscopical and immunological methods of which the last one is most sensitive. The crude or fractionated sterile hydatid cyst fluid obtained from cattle may be used as antigen in a variety of immunoassays. For improving the efficacy of immunodiagnosis of hydatid diseasis in cattles, the purification and characterization of hydatid cyst fluid is essential. Moreover researches so far were performed mostly on diagnosis of Echinococcus granulosus in human beings only; relatively less research work hasbeen performed for the early diagnosis of hydatidosis in cattles. Considering the above, the present study is carried out with the objectives of purification and Immunobiochemical characterization of hydatid cyst fluid antigen of cattle. MATERIALS AND METHODS COLLECTION OF SERA AND PREPARATION OF CRUDE CATTLE HYDATID CYST FLUID ANTIGEN (CCHCFA) During the study sera of five positive cases of cattle with presence of visible cysts in their visceral organs and five negetive cases of cattle with the absence of visible cyst in their visceral organs were collected and preserved at -20C. CCHCFA (Crude Cattle Hydatid Cyst Fluid Antigen) were prepared from fertile hydatid cysts by centrifugation and dialysis. Phenyl Methyl Sulfonyl Fluoride PMSF(0.03mM) was added. The globulinic antigen of the hydatid fluid was obtained by precipitating with ammonium sulfate at half saturation. The protein concentrations of PURIFICATION AND IMMUNO-BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CATTLE HYDATID CYST FLUID ANTIGEN