Immunological characterization of Echinococcus granulosus cyclophilin, an allergen reactive with IgE and IgG4 from patients with cystic echinococcosis

SUMMARY By immunological screening of a cDNA library derived from protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus with IgE from patients with cystic echinococcosis (CE) and allergic manifestations, we isolated a protein identical to E. granulosus cyclophilin. The protein, named EA21, has close homology with Malassezia furfur cyclophilin allergen (Mal f 6) and with human cyclophilin. Using immunoblotting (IB) with a polyclonal antibody specific to EA21, we identified E. granulosus cyclophilin both in protoscoleces and in sheep hydatid fluid. Of the 58 sera from patients with CE, 29 (50%) were IgE positive to EA21, whereas, despite the high sequence homology, none were IgE positive to Mal f 6 or human cyclophilin. Only 26 of the 58 patients (45%) had IgG specific to EA21, whereas all patients (100%) had IgG specific to Mal f 6 and human cyclophilin. IB analysis showed that serum IgE‐binding reactivity to EA21 differed significantly in patients with and without allergic reactions (20 of 25, 80% versus nine of 33, 27%; P < 10 –4 ). Conversely, five of the 25 patients who had CE‐related allergic manifestations (20%) and 21 of the 33 who did not (63%) had specific IgG4 ( P = 10 –3 ) and total IgG to EA21. EA21 induced a proliferative response in 15 of 19 (79%) patients’ PBMC regardless of the allergic manifestations, but it induced no IL‐4 production. Overall, these findings suggest that E. granulosus cyclophilin is a conserved, constitutive, parasite protein that does not cross‐react with cyclophilins from other organisms and is involved in the allergic symptoms related to CE.