Humoral immune response in cattle experimentally infested with larvae of Dermatobia Hominis

Abstract

Six bovines were infested with 60 first instar larvae of Dermatobia hominis. The animals were bleed weekly, and their antibodies levels to D. hominis L1, L2 and L3 instars measured during the time, following the infestation course. The antisera were submitted to a titration against optimal dilutions of antigen coated wells of microplates, previously sensitized with L1, L2 and L3 preparations, respectively. The ELISA assay was used to test single dilutions of antisera, which results were comparatively analyzed with a control of not infested animals. Antibodies against L1 were detected between the first and 21st day post-infestation (DPI) and, from the 42nd DPI on. Anti-L2 antibodies, could be detected on the 21st DPI and from the 35th DPI until approximately the 49th DPI, when it was observed a decreasing of antibodies titration equivalent to the control group. No antibodies were detected against the L3 instar-antigens. Antibodies levels against L1 showed absorbance higher than 1.500 O.D. at 492nm in the ELISA assay, when compared to the 0.096 O.D. observed to the negative animals. High anti-L2 antibodies were also detected on the 21st DPI, where two animals showed O.D. of 0.450 and 0.900 at 492nm, with a cut-off estimated on 0.110 O.D. It was also demonstrated a rising of anti-L2 antibodies in the same four animals, which presented antibodies response against L1 instar. The obtained results, with an estimated prevalence of 50%, were comparatively evaluated, taking the double diffusion immunoassay precipitation test as a standard, and showed a concordance of 98%. The association between infestation and presence of specific antibodies was also discussed.