title: Assessment of protective immune responses against hydatid disease in sheep by immunization with synthetic peptide antigens.
abstract: Four synthetic peptides which comprise the immunodominant linear epitopes of the EG95 recombinant protein, were investigated for their ability to induce host-protective immunity against Echinococcus granulosus in sheep. Sheep were immunized with either free peptide or peptide conjugated to diphtheria toxoid and challenge infected with E. granulosus eggs. All of the peptides elicited specific antibody, but these did not kill the parasite in in vitro culture assays, nor did the peptides induce protection against challenge infection. In contrast, anti-EG95 antibodies affinity purified against each of the 4 peptides were lethal to the parasite in in vitro culture. These affinity-purified antibodies were shown to contain specific antibody to both peptide and EG95. In in vitro inhibition assays, the peptides did not diminish anti-EG95 antibody binding to EG95 or parasite lysis in oncosphere killing assays. These results suggest that the fine specificities of antibodies raised against the recombinant protein are different to those raised against the peptide immunogens and that the majority of the antibody induced by vaccination with EG95 is raised against conformational determinants.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia. d.woollard@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Woollard
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Lightowlers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004446:Echinococcus / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D007114:Immunization / Q000662:veterinary*; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000592:standards; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic