Structural and immunodiagnostic characterization of synthetic Antigen B subunits from Echinococcus granulosus and their evaluation as target antigens for cyst viability assessment

Several tools have been proposed for serodiagnosis of cystic echinococcosis (CE), but none appears promising for cyst viability assessment. Antigens with stage-specific diagnostic value have been described, but few studies with well-characterized antigens and human sera have been performed. Antigen B (AgB) proteoforms hold promise as markers of viability, due to their differential stage-related expression and immunoreactivity.