Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1978 May;31(5):475–478. doi: 10.1136/jcp.31.5.475

Echinococcus granulosus: specific quantification of the two most immunoreactive antigens in hydatid fluids

P Musiani 1,2, M Piantelli 1,2, L Lauriola 1,2, E Arru 1,2, R Pozzuoli 1,2
PMCID: PMC1145306  PMID: 649773

Abstract

Preparations of the two most immunoreactive Echinococcus granulosus antigens (antigens 4 and 5) from sheep hydatid fluid, purified by a simplified method, and monospecific antisera against antigens 4 and 5, prepared by a new procedure, were used to measure the antigenic concentrations of antigens 4 and 5 in swine, sheep, and human hydatid fluids from pulmonary or hepatic cysts. Two bovine samples and two commercial preparations were also tested. The concentration of both antigens was significantly higher in sheep and human hydatid fluids than in swine hydatid fluid. The antigenic content of the two bovine samples and of the two commercial preparations was below the sensitivity level of the method employed. Independently of the species tested, the amount of Echinococcus antigens was greater in hepatic than in pulmonary cysts. The ratio between the concentrations of antigens 4 and 5 was constant at about 1:10 in the samples from various organs and from different species. When there were enough samples for statistical analysis a linear correlation was found between the contents of these two antigenic components but there was none between the amounts of proteins and the antigenic concentrations in the single cysts. Sheep hydatid fluid must therefore be considered the best source of antigenic material for diagnostic purposes even though in human cysts the antigenic fraction is less contaminated by serum proteins. We describe a reliable method of standardising antigenic material for the immunodiagnosis of hydatid disease.

Full text

PDF
475

Images in this article

476p476-a
on p.476

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bout D., Fruit J., Capron A. Purification d'un antigène spécifique de liquide hydatique. Ann Immunol (Paris) 1974 Aug-Sep;125 100(5):775–788. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Capron A., Biguet J., Vernes A., Afchain D. Structure antigénique des helminthes. Aspects immunologiques des relations hote-parasite. Pathol Biol. 1968 Feb;16(3):121–138. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Capron A., Yarzabal L., Vernes A., Fruit J. Le diagnostic immunologique de l'échinococcose humaine. (Bilan personnel a propos de 400 observations) Pathol Biol (Paris) 1970 Apr;18(7):357–365. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cuatrecasas P., Wilchek M., Anfinsen C. B. Selective enzyme purification by affinity chromatography. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 Oct;61(2):636–643. doi: 10.1073/pnas.61.2.636. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Mancini G., Carbonara A. O., Heremans J. F. Immunochemical quantitation of antigens by single radial immunodiffusion. Immunochemistry. 1965 Sep;2(3):235–254. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(65)90004-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Oriol R., Williams J. F., Pérez Esandi M. V., Oriol C. Purification of lipoprotein antigens of Echinococcus granulosus from sheep hydatid fluid. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1971 Jul;20(4):569–574. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1971.20.569. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Piantelli M., Pozzuoli R., Arru E., Musiani P. Echinococcus granulosus: identification of subunits of the major antigens. J Immunol. 1977 Oct;119(4):1382–1386. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Pozzuoli R., Musiani P., Arru E., Patrono C., Piantelli M. Echinococcus granulosus: evaluation of purified antigens immunoreactivity. Exp Parasitol. 1974 Feb;35(1):52–60. doi: 10.1016/0014-4894(74)90006-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Pozzuoli R., Musiani P., Arru E., Piantelli M., Mazzarella R. Echinococcus granulosus: isolation and characterization of sheep hydatid fluid antigens. Exp Parasitol. 1972 Aug;32(1):45–55. doi: 10.1016/0014-4894(72)90008-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pozzuoli R., Piantelli M., Perucci C., Arru E., Musiani P. Isolation of the most immunoreactive antigenes of echinococcus granulosus from sheep hydatid fluid. J Immunol. 1975 Nov;115(5):1459–1463. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES