Antibody responses of Wuchereria bancrofti patients to recombinant Brugia pahangi superoxide dismutase
Rathaur, S.; Sharma, S.; Singh, R.N.; Henkle, K.; Selkirk, M.E.
Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 39(1): 35-40
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5189 PMID: 11349523 Document Number: 539735
Larval extracts and excretory-secretory products of adult Brugia malayi are known to contain a significant amount of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Recombinant SOD from B. pahangi was used to study the antibody response in Wuchereria bancrofti-infected patients. The recombinant SOD reacted specifically with W. bancrofti-infected sera in ELISA and immunoblotting. IgM reactivity was greater than IgG reactivity in both asymptomatic microfilaraemic and symptomatic amicrofilaraemic patients when tested by ELISA. Reactivity due to other helminth infections was very low and insignificant. The antibody response to recombinant SOD was directly proportional to the number of microfilariae in infected patients. Circulating filarial SOD was detected in filarial patients using polyclonal antibodies raised against recombinant Cu/Zn SOD in rabbits. The apparent MWs as determined by immunoblotting were 29 and 22 kDa. The specificity of recombinant SOD could be exploited for immunodiagnosis of lymphatic filariasis.