title: Distinct galactofuranose antigens in the cell wall and culture supernatants as a means to differentiate Fusarium from Aspergillus species.
abstract: Detection of carbohydrate antigens is an important means for diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. For diagnosis of systemic Aspergillus infections, galactomannan is commonly used, the core antigenic structure of which consists of chains of several galactofuranose moieties. In this study, we provide evidence that Fusarium produces at least two distinct galactofuranose antigens: Smaller amounts of galactomannan and larger quantities of a novel antigen recognized by the monoclonal antibody AB135-8. In A. fumigatus, only minor amounts of the AB135-8 antigen are found in supernatants and in the apical regions of hyphae. A galactofuranose-deficient A. fumigatus mutant lacks the AB135-8 antigen, which strongly suggests that galactofuranose is an essential constituent of this antigen. Using a combination of AB135-8 and a galactomannan-specific antibody, we were able to unambiguously differentiate A. fumigatus and Fusarium hyphae in immunohistology. Moreover, since Fusarium releases the AB135-8 antigen, it appears to be a promising target antigen for a serological detection of Fusarium infections.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, LMU, Munich, Germany; Max-Von-Pettenkofer-Institute, LMU, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Annegret
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiedemann
authors.affiliation: Max-Von-Pettenkofer-Institute, LMU, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Tamara Katharina
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Kakoschke
authors.affiliation: Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Speth
authors.affiliation: Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rambach
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ensinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Henrik Elvang
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, LMU, Munich, Germany; Max-Von-Pettenkofer-Institute, LMU, Munich, Germany. Electronic address: frank.ebel@lmu.de.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ebel
mesh_terms: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000276:immunology; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000032:analysis*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000379:methods; D005670:Fusarium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005690:Galactose / Q000032:analysis*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D009181:Mycoses / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D003470:Culture Media; D005690:Galactose
keywords: Fungal diagnostics; Fusarium; Galactofuranose; Galactomannan; Immunohistology; Monoclonal antibody