title: The use of murine polyclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies as surrogate allergens in the diagnosis of Parthenium hypersensitivity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab-2), which are the mirror images of idiotypic antibodies (Ab-1), may be useful as diagnostic reagents and for use as immunogen to induce antigen-specific immune responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To explore the biologic potential of Ab-2 as diagnostic reagents in allergic diseases, murine mouse (m) Ab-2 were raised by immunizing Balb/c mice with affinity purified rabbit (r) Ab-1 specific for the pollen of Parthenium hysterophorus, an allergenic weed that grows wild on the Indian subcontinent and in Australia, Mexico, and the southern United States. Affinity purified Parthenium-specific human (h)AB-1 could successfully inhibit the binding of mAb-2 to immobilized rAb-1. Further, Balb/c mice immunized with mAb-2 induced Parthenium-specific anti-anti-idiotypic IgE and IgG antibodies. Specificity of the Ab-2 was confirmed by the ability of Parthenium pollen extracts to inhibit the binding of allergen-specific IgE and IgG Ab-1 in the sera of patients with rhinitis to immobilized mAb-2. Parthenium-sensitive patients with rhinitis who had positive results on skin prick tests to Parthenium pollen extracts also responded with a positive skin reaction to mAb-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrate that Parthenium-specific mAb-2 may be of value as surrogate allergens in allergen standardization and for in vitro diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sriramarao
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Prakash
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D003429:Cross Reactions; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010944:Plants; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E