Taenia crassiceps Metacestode Vesicular Fluid Antigens Shared with the Taenia solium Larval Stage and Reactive with Serum Antibodies from Patients with Neurocysticercosis

Abstract

After removal of host (mouse) serum proteins (albumin, transferrin, IgG and another five unidentified proteins) by immunoaffinity chromatography, the vesicular fluid of T. crassiceps metacestodes (TcVF) was immunoelectrophoretically examined for antigens recognized by rabbit antiserum to aqueous crude extract of T. solium cysticerci. Based on a precipitate pattern developed in electroimmunodiffusion, nine cross-reactive antigens could be demonstrated. In the ELISA, TcVF was shown to be a potent antigen for the demonstration of IgG antibodies in the sera of Mexican patients (n = 14) with confirmed neurocysticercosis (mean E 490 values ± SD: 0.39 ± 0.38) although it was less sensitive when compared to T. solium VF (0.95 ± 0.54). Sensitivity was much higher using cross-reactive TcVF antigens selected by immunoaffinity chromatography with rabbit IgG antibodies to larval T. solium crude extract (0.87 ± 0.57). SDS-PAGE fluorograph of cross-reactive, radioiodinated TcVF protein antigens and selected by antibodies of individual neurocysticercosis sera (n = 13), exhibited six to nine bands depending on the serum tested. Altogether ten 125I-labelled proteins (M r range from about 20000 to 200000) were recognized by neurocysticercosis antibodies. Four proteins (M r about 22000, 25000, 32000 and 45000) were detected by all sera.