Botrytis cinerea: a study of the immunological properties during growth. Incidence of antibodies against B. cinerea in a group of patients with aspergillosis.

Abstract

When growing Botrytis cinerea in Sabouraud medium, different phases of growth could be recognized using pH, mycelium yield, and culture filtrate antigens as parameters of growth. Immunological characteristics of the different phases (early, intermediate, and late) of growth were measured using IgE and IgG binding by enzyme allergosorbent test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively, and quantities of precipitating components (double immunodiffusion and rocket immunoelectrophoresis). The number of precipitating components was maximal in culture filtrate extracts during late phase (III) of growth. In contrast, both IgE and IgG binding were already maximal in the early phase of growth (9 days of cultivation). In a group of patients with elevated IgE antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus, about half of them also showed elevated IgE antibodies against B. cinerea. This indicates that multiple exposition is a cause of multiple sensitization; however, cross-reactivity in some of these sera cannot be excluded.