Immunohistologic examination of monoclonal antibodies generated against Eimeria bovis sporozoites for reactivity to meronts and sexual stages of E bovis and other eimerian parasites

Abstract

SUMMARY Seven monoclonal antibodies (mab) generated against sporozoites of Eimeria bovis were tested for reactivity against immature and mature first-generation meronts, sexual stages, and oocysts in tissues from experimentally infected calves by use of an avidin-biotin peroxidase complex (abpc) immunohistologic test. Three of the 7 mab reacted in the abpc test. One of these, mab-4FB4, reacted only with mature E bovis meronts. The other 2 mab, mab-2AE7 and mab-4AD7, reacted with all the developmental stages of E bovis tested. Asexual stages and sexual stages of E tenella from chickens and E papillota from mice also were examined in the abpc test. Monoclonal antibodies mab-2AE7 and mab-4AD7 reacted with all stages of these eimerian protozoa. None of the other 5 mab reacted with these parasites. Results of this study suggested that antigens are shared among the asexual and sexual stages of several diverse Eimeria species.