Electrochemical immunosensor for differential diagnostic of Wuchereria bancrofti using a synthetic peptide

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a neglected tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes and the second cause of permanent disability leading to a significant morbidity and mortality rate. Previously, we have identified epitopes of the filarial abundant larval transcript-2 (ALT-2) protein using a microarray mapping. In this study, one of the epitopes (Wb/ALT2-A5) was used to construct an electrochemical immunosensor. Electrochemical technique of cyclic voltammetry was performed for detecting the signal generated by the interaction between the (Wb/ALT2-A5) peptide and circulating antibodies of serum human samples. (Wb/ALT2-A5) epitope antigens were successfully immobilized on the working electrode of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) by their amine groups via chitosan film by coupling with glutaraldehyde as crosslinker. After the sensor ready, a pool of human sera infected with Wuchereria bancrofti was added to its surface. Electrochemical responses were generated by applying a potential of − 0.6 to 0.6 V, scan rate of 0.025 V/s. A detection limit of 5.0 µg mL−1 for the synthetic peptides (Wb/ALT2-A5) and 0.002 µg mL−1 for human serum, with a sensitivity of 1.86 µA. The performance of this assay was successfully tested in human serum samples from infected and healthy patients. Thus, this proposed immunosensor, which is able to identify circulating antibodies, can be applied to the diagnosis of the W. bancrofti parasitic disease. •The lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a parasitic infection, exclusive to humans.•In endemic countries, about 120 million individuals are infected by this helminth.•The diagnosis is performed by parasitological, immunological techniques among others.•The mapping of epitopes of the ALT-2 from the worm Wuchereria bancrofti was carried.•The immunosensor was capable of identifying circulating antibodies in human sera.