Production, characterization and applications for Toxoplasma gondii-specific polyclonal chicken egg yolk immunoglobulins.
BACKGROUND
Toxoplasma gondii may cause abortions, ocular and neurological disorders in warm-blood hosts. Immunized mammals are a wide source of hyperimmune sera used in different approaches, including diagnosis and the study of host-parasite interactions. Unfortunately, mammalian antibodies present limitations for its production, such as the necessity for animal bleeding, low yield, interference with rheumatoid factor, complement activation and affinity to Fc mammalian receptors. IgY antibodies avoid those limitations; therefore they could be an alternative to be applied in T. gondii model.


RESULTS
In this study we immunized hens with soluble tachyzoite antigens of T. gondii (STAg) and purified egg yolk antibodies (IgY) by an inexpensive and simple method, with high yield and purity degree. IgY anti-STAg antibodies presented high avidity and were able to recognize a broad range of parasite antigens, although some marked differences were observed in reactivity profile between antibodies produced in immunized hens and mice. Interestingly, IgY antibodies against Neospora caninum and Eimeria spp. did not react to STAg. We also show that IgY antibodies were suitable to detect T. gondii forms in paraffin-embedded sections and culture cell monolayers.


CONCLUSIONS
Due to its cost-effectiveness, high production yield and varied range of possible applications, polyclonal IgY antibodies are useful tools for studies involving T. gondii.
Laboratory of Immunoparasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Álvaro
Á
Ferreira Júnior
Fernanda M
FM
Santiago
Murilo V
MV
Silva
Flávia B
FB
Ferreira
Arlindo G
AG
Macêdo Júnior
Caroline M
CM
Mota
Matheus S
MS
Faria
Hercílio H
HH
Silva Filho
Deise A O
DA
Silva
Jair P
JP
Cunha-Júnior
José R
JR
Mineo
Tiago W P
TW
Mineo
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000915:Antibody Affinity / Q000276:immunology; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology*; D004530:Egg Yolk / Q000276:immunology*; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013045:Species Specificity; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*
D000906:Antibodies; C016512:IgY; D007136:Immunoglobulins