Identification of immunoreactive proteins during acute human giardiasis

J Infect Dis. 2003 Jun 15;187(12):1849-59. doi: 10.1086/375356. Epub 2003 Jun 4.

Abstract

The protozoan Giardia lamblia is a major cause of parasite-induced diarrhea in humans. Humoral immunity has been shown to be important for clearance of the infection, but only a few antigens have been identified. In this study, we focused on the immunoreactivity of nonvariant antigens. Serum samples from 93 patients with acute giardiasis who were infected during a waterborne outbreak in a nonendemic country were screened on 1-dimensional Western blots. Representative serum samples that reacted strongly with proteins of different molecular weights were further analyzed on 2-dimensional Western blots. Sixteen immunoreactive proteins were identified using mass spectrometry analysis, among them variable surface proteins, alpha-giardins, arginine deiminase, ornithine carbamoyl transferase, and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase. Several of the identified proteins were immunoreactive in recombinant form, and they may be important in the development of new diagnostic tools and vaccines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Adult
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Protozoan / analysis*
  • Antigens, Protozoan / blood
  • Antigens, Protozoan / chemistry
  • Antigens, Protozoan / immunology*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Diarrhea / immunology
  • Diarrhea / parasitology
  • Female
  • Giardia lamblia / immunology*
  • Giardiasis / immunology*
  • Giardiasis / parasitology
  • Humans
  • Immunodominant Epitopes / analysis
  • Immunodominant Epitopes / chemistry
  • Immunodominant Epitopes / immunology
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data

Substances

  • Antigens, Protozoan
  • Immunodominant Epitopes