title: Reactivity of antibodies from patients with acute and chronic paracoccidioidomycosis to a high molecular mass antigen from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Biological and Health Center, UNOPAR and Microbiology Postgraduation Program, UEL, Londrina, Brazil.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Marquez
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Vicentini
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: M A E
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Z P
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: de Camargo
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Itano
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E