Preparation of reference antisera for laboratory diagnosis of blastomycosis.
Antiserum was prepared in rabbits against the A antigen and a new antigen (labeled the D antigen) of yeast-phase cells of Blastomyces dermatitidis by using immunoelectrophoretic precipitin arcs as vaccine. The antiserum can be used as a reference serum in the immunodiffusion test for identyfying antibodies to the A antigen in sera from patients thought to have blastomycosis. Antibodies to the D antigen have not yet been found in human sera. The rabbit antiserum that was absorbed with Histoplasma capsulatum yeast-phase cells did not react in the complement fixation test with either H. capsulatum yeast-phase or mycelial-phase complement fixation antigen. Therefore, it could also be used as a positive control serum in the complement fixation test. A fluorescent-antibody conjugate prepared from the absorbed serum was found to be valuable for the identification of yeast-phase cells of B. dermatitidis.
D000818:Animals; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D001758:Blastomyces / Q000276:immunology*; D001759:Blastomycosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000276:immunology; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000592:standards*; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D011817:Rabbits / Q000276:immunology; D012016:Reference Values; D012995:Solubility; D014867:Water
D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D007106:Immune Sera; D014867:Water