RESUMO
The object of paper has been the study of amebic seroepidemiology in the northern region of Mexico, by means of an immunoenzymatic assay in solid phase (ELISA). The proteic antigen was obtained from axenic culture of E. histolytica's trophozoites of strain HM1:IMSS, by means of solubilization with phenoxy polyethoxyethanol (Triton X-100). Standardization of the method was obtained by analysis of 80 sera from patients with both a clinical and radiologic diagnosis of amebic hepatic abscess and 80 sera from healthy patients. The sensitivity reached 95% and the specificity was 90.7%. 15,457 sera from eight Mexican northern states were tested as part of the National Seroepidemiologic Survey. A semiautomatic BIOMEK 1,000 (Beckman Ins.) equipment was used. The positive ratio varied between 2.0% in Southern Baja California and 4.92% in Chihuahua, with an average ratio for the whole group of 3.34%. The first three places, in descending order, are Chihuahua (4.92%), Sinaloa (4.01%) and Northern Baja California (3.78%). The positive man: woman ratio was 0.87:1 and fluctuated between 0.38:1 in Coahuila and 1.76:1 in Nuevo Leon. In the whole sample the positive ratio of men was 3.00% and in women was 3.43%. The antibody profile related to age, is similar to diseases reported to be highly endemic; the percentage of positive sera rose progressively up to the age of 20 years (4.05%), at which a plateau occurred with a slight descending tendency up to 60 years of age (3.54%), after which a clear descent in the positive index is seen. No important variations were observed when comparing groups of ages and sexes. The antibody level seems to show an inverse relationship with the incidence rate of amebiasis.