A monoclonal antibody for distinction of invasive and noninvasive clinical isolates of Entamoeba histolytica.
Approximately 10% of the world population is infected with Entamoeba histolytica, but only 10% of the carriers develop symptomatic amebiasis. This discrepancy could be explained by the genotypic differences between the morphologically indistinguishable invasive and noninvasive strains of E. histolytica currently identified by zymodeme analysis, a technique that is unsuitable for routine diagnostic laboratories. Here we report the production of a monoclonal antibody against E. histolytica and its use in an immunofluorescence assay to identify invasive isolates cultured from stool samples of infected patients in several regions where amebiasis is endemic: Bangladesh, Colombia, and Mexico. After testing a total of 88 E. histolytica isolates, the correlation between zymodeme characterization and the immunofluorescence assay with the invasive isolate-specific monoclonal antibody was 100%. The epitope detected by the invasive isolate-specific monoclonal antibody resides in a previously undescribed internal protein with molecular masses of 84 and 81 kDa in axenic and polyxenic E. histolytica strains, respectively.
Gonzalez-Ruiz
A
A
Department of Medical Parasitology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom.
Haque
R
R
Rehman
T
T
Aguirre
A
A
Jaramillo
C
C
Castañon
G
G
Hall
A
A
Guhl
F
F
Ruiz-Palacios
G
G
Warhurst
D C
DC
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D002353:Carrier State / Q000469:parasitology; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004749:Entamoebiasis / Q000469:parasitology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D014774:Virulence
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan