title: Detection ofFasciola hepaticaandFasciola giganticacommon and uncommon antigens, using rabbit hyper immune serum raised against their excretory-secretory and somatic antigens.
abstract: Fasciolosis is an important neglected helminth disease caused by two liver flukes,Fasciola hepaticaandFasciola gigantica. The two species ofFasciolaare usually different in their morphological and molecular features. They have also common and uncommon antigens in both their somatic and excretory secretory metabolites. In this study, we compared somatic and excretory-secretory (ES) antigens ofF.hepaticaandF.gigantica,by using rabbit hyper immune serum raised against these antigens. Adult worms were collected from bile ducts of infected animals and species of the fluke was confirmed by RFLP-PCR. ES and somatic antigens of both species were prepared. Rabbits were subcutaneously immunized with either ES or somatic antigens to produce antibodies against these antigens. SDS-PAGE pattern ofF.hepaticaandF.giganticasomatic antigens was similar and both of them revealed 30 protein bands, ranging from 18 to 180 kDa. In contrast, SDS-PAGE pattern of ES antigen of the two species was different. While protein bands with molecular weight of 18, 27, 29, 48, and 62 kDa were common in both species, bands of 19, 45, 55 and 58 kDa were only noticed inF.hepaticaES antigen. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies, raised againstF.hepaticaandF.giganticaES antigen, reacted with main five protein bands, 25, 27, 29, 62 and 67 kDa and polyclonal antibodies raised against somatic antigens of both species reacted with three protein bands, 25, 27 and 72 kDa. Thus, the 25, 27 and 29 kDa protein bands may serve as immunodominant antigens, which might be considered for serodiagnosis of fasciolosis. Moreover, bands of 62 and 67 kDa in ES antigen and 72 kDa in somatic antigens of both species were immunodominant and might be suitable candidate for development of serological assays for diagnosis of fasciolosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 71345-1735, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdolahi Khabisi
authors.affiliation: Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sarkari
keywords: Excretory–secretory antigen; Fasciola; Somatic antigen; Western blotting