Human cystic echinococcosis )hydatid disease or hydatidosis) is a parasitic zoonosis caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, the dog tapeworm, which accounts for 95% of human echinococcosis cases. Human cystic echinococcosis is present worldwide and remains highly endemic in many rural communities (Griffin et al., 2014).
Cystic echinococcosis is a neglected parasitic zoonosis as it is endemic in many regions of the world and lies in regions with
a low hygienic standard (Wuestenberg et al., 2014) with considerable socioeconomic impact on affected communities (Chebli et al., 2017), arising from the costs of medical treatment, morbidity, life impairments and fatality rates in human cases (Piseddu et al., 2017).
Despite efforts to control hydatidosis, the disease continues to threaten human health in a number of countries, including Egypt. In the last few years, several human cases have been reported and treated in the hospitals of Cairo and the Delta regions (Elshazly et al., 2009).
In Assiut and Aswan Governorates, a study on sero-positivity levels of echinococcosis using the indirect haemagglutination test revealed (5%) of patients, with acute and chronic hepatic diseases, were (Youssef and Uga, 2014)
Cystic echinococcosis is one of the few parasitic infections in which the basis for laboratory diagnosis is primarily serology (Brunetti et al., 2010). Serological tests include direct, indirect hemagglutination, indirect Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA), dot ELISA, sandwich ELISA and PCR (Biava et al., 2001).
Nanoparticles particularly metal nanoparticles has been used in biomedical research. They are used in diagnosis and therapeutics due to their unique properties of small size, high reactivity to the living cells and stability over high temperatures. They are available in different sizes (10-100 nm) and shapes (Pooja et al., 2011).
Most commonly studied metal nanoparticles include gold, silver, titanium oxide and iron nanoparticles (El-Ansary and Al-Daihan, 2009). Among these, gold being inert and relatively less cytotoxic is extensively used for various applications including drug and gene delivery (Pissuwan et al., 2009).
Gold nanoparticles can be used for developing tests more sensitive than ELISA. When the antigen is present in a complex protein mix, such as in serum-containing culture medium or in crude body fluids, and analyzed in a sandwich assay, Nano conjugation have a higher sensitivity than ELISA (Perez et al., 2011).
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