Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1996 Oct;64(10):4085–4090. doi: 10.1128/iai.64.10.4085-4090.1996

Passive immunization of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) against the ciliated protozoan parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis by use of murine monoclonal antibodies.

T L Lin 1, T G Clark 1, H Dickerson 1
PMCID: PMC174341  PMID: 8926073

Abstract

Fish acquire immunity against the ciliated protozoan parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis following sublethal infection. The immune response includes the elaboration of humoral antibodies against a class of abundant surface membrane proteins referred to as immobilization antigens (i-antigens). Antibodies against these proteins immobilize the parasite in vitro, suggesting a potential role for the i-antigens in protective immunity. To test this hypothesis, passive immunization experiments were carried out with naive channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, using immobilizing murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Fish were completely protected against lethal challenge following intraperitoneal injection of 20 to 200 micrograms of MAb. Although fish succumbed to infection at lower doses, palliative effects were observed with as little as 2 micrograms of antibody. In experiments in which animals were challenged at various times following inoculation, an inverse relationship between parasite load and serum immobilizing activity was seen. Of seven MAbs which conferred protection, all were immunoglobulin G class antibodies. The only immobilizing MAb that failed to protect was an immunoglobulin M antibody that was absent from surface mucosa as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The implications of these findings for the development of a vaccine against I. multifiliis and immunity against surface pathogens of fish are discussed.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (249.2 KB).

Selected References

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

  1. Arasu P., Ellis L. A., Iglesias R., Ubeira F. M., Appleton J. A. Molecular analysis of antigens targeted by protective antibodies in rapid expulsion of Trichinella spiralis. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 1994 Jun;65(2):201–211. doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(94)90072-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BAUER O. N. Immunitet u ryb pri zarazhenii Ichthyophthirius multifiliis Fouquet. Dokl Akad Nauk SSSR. 1953 Nov 11;93(2):377–379. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bannon G. A., Perkins-Dameron R., Allen-Nash A. Structure and expression of two temperature-specific surface proteins in the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Sep;6(9):3240–3245. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.9.3240. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Booman P., Wissink H. C., de Bruijn M., Veerhuis R., Hengst A. M. A comparative study on the use of bovine and murine monoclonal antibodies for passive immunization in cattle. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 1992 Nov;34(3-4):259–272. doi: 10.1016/0165-2427(92)90169-q. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bradshaw C. M., Richard A. S., Sigel M. M. IgM antibodies in fish mucus. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1971 Apr;136(4):1122–1124. doi: 10.3181/00379727-136-35443. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Clark T. G., Lin T. L., Dickerson H. W. Surface antigen cross-linking triggers forced exit of a protozoan parasite from its host. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Jun 25;93(13):6825–6829. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.13.6825. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Clark T. G., McGraw R. A., Dickerson H. W. Developmental expression of surface antigen genes in the parasitic ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Jul 15;89(14):6363–6367. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.14.6363. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dickerson H. W., Clark T. G., Findly R. C. Icthyophthirius multifiliis has membrane-associated immobilization antigens. J Protozool. 1989 Mar-Apr;36(2):159–164. doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1989.tb01065.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Dickerson H. W., Clark T. G., Leff A. A. Serotypic variation among isolates of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis based on immobilization. J Eukaryot Microbiol. 1993 Nov-Dec;40(6):816–820. doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1993.tb04480.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ewing M. S., Kocan K. M. Invasion and development strategies of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, a parasitic ciliate of fish. Parasitol Today. 1992 Jun;8(6):204–208. doi: 10.1016/0169-4758(92)90265-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Klesius P., Rogers W. Parasitisms of catfish and other farm-raised food fish. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1995 Dec 1;207(11):1473–1478. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lin T. L., Dickerson H. W. Purification and partial characterization of immobilization antigens from Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. J Protozool. 1992 Jul-Aug;39(4):457–463. doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1992.tb04832.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lobb C. J., Clem L. W. The metabolic relationships of the immunoglobulins in fish serum, cutaneous mucus, and bile. J Immunol. 1981 Oct;127(4):1525–1529. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lobb C. J. Secretory immunity induced in catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, following bath immunization. Dev Comp Immunol. 1987 Fall;11(4):727–738. doi: 10.1016/0145-305x(87)90060-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. McCallum H. I. Acquired resistance of black mollies Poecilia latipinna to infection by Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Parasitology. 1986 Oct;93(Pt 2):251–261. doi: 10.1017/s0031182000051428. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Michel C., Gonzalez R., Avrameas S. Résistance anti-bactérienne conférée par injection d'un liquide d'ascite (au moins partiellement débarrassé d'IgM) et d'anticorps naturels monoclonaux d'origine humaine chez la truite arc-en-ciel. C R Acad Sci III. 1992;314(2):43–48. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Mukherjee J., Pirofski L. A., Scharff M. D., Casadevall A. Antibody-mediated protection in mice with lethal intracerebral Cryptococcus neoformans infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Apr 15;90(8):3636–3640. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.8.3636. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mukherjee J., Scharff M. D., Casadevall A. Protective murine monoclonal antibodies to Cryptococcus neoformans. Infect Immun. 1992 Nov;60(11):4534–4541. doi: 10.1128/iai.60.11.4534-4541.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Noe J. G., Dickerson H. W. Sustained growth of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis at low temperature in the laboratory. J Parasitol. 1995 Dec;81(6):1022–1024. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Rombout J. H., Taverne N., van de Kamp M., Taverne-Thiele A. J. Differences in mucus and serum immunoglobulin of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). Dev Comp Immunol. 1993 Jul-Aug;17(4):309–317. doi: 10.1016/0145-305x(93)90003-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. van den Hurk J. V., van Drunen Littel-van den Hurk S. Protection of turkeys against haemorrhagic enteritis by monoclonal antibody and hexon immunization. Vaccine. 1993;11(3):329–335. doi: 10.1016/0264-410x(93)90195-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES