Reactivity of antibodies from patients with acute and chronic paracoccidioidomycosis to a high molecular mass antigen from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.
Yeast forms of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis produce polydispersed high molecular mass (h-MM) antigens. We investigated the antibodies to an h-MM antigen from P. brasiliensis by immunoblotting and ELISA in sera from paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) patients. IgG from the sera of chronic PCM patients was able to recognize the h-MM antigen at a higher frequency in the cell-free antigen (CFA) (8/13) than in the somatic antigen (SA) (2/13), as assessed by immunoblotting. The CFA was fractionated by Sephadex G-200 chromatography, and fraction 17 (F17) with the h-MM antigen of approximately 366 kDa was used in ELISA to analyze specific levels of IgG and IgE. Patients with the chronic form showed significantly higher levels of IgG (P<0.05) but not IgE (P>0.05) to F17 by ELISA, compared to patients with the acute form or to healthy donors. In conclusion, CFA is better than SA as a source of the P. brasiliensis h-MM antigen. This study reveals a new characteristic to differentiate between the acute and chronic forms of PCM, by demonstrating a higher level of seric IgG to h-MM antigen in chronic compared to acute PCM patients.
Marquez
A S
AS
Biological and Health Center, UNOPAR and Microbiology Postgraduation Program, UEL, Londrina, Brazil.
Vicentini
A P
AP
Ono
M A
MA
Watanabe
M A E
MA
de Camargo
Z P
ZP
Itano
E N
EN
D000208:Acute Disease; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000276:immunology*; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002474:Cell-Free System / Q000276:immunology; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010228:Paracoccidioides / Q000276:immunology*; D010229:Paracoccidioidomycosis / Q000276:immunology*
D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E