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Age‐specific acquisition of immunity to infective larvae in a bancroftian filariasis endemic area of Papua New Guinea
Author(s) -
DAY KAREN P.,
GREGORY WILLIAM F.,
MAIZELS RICK M.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
parasite immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1365-3024
pISSN - 0141-9838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3024.1991.tb00282.x
Subject(s) - biology , wuchereria bancrofti , immunology , antigen , antibody , filariasis , immunofluorescence , new guinea , immune system , population , lymphatic filariasis , helminthiasis , virology , helminths , medicine , history , ethnology , environmental health
Summary The development of antibodies to infective stages of the filarial parasite, Wuchereria bancrofti , with age of the host human population was studied by immunofluorescence. immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting assays. Among individuals under 20 years of age, few had detectable antibodies to the infective (L3) larval surface by IFA: only 2 out of 10 scored positive. However all adults over 20 years) were positive in this assay although the utilization of isotypes varied between different individuals. Whilst antibodies to the L3 surface are therefore acquired after prolonged exposure to infection (> 20 years), recognition patterns of L3 surface labelled antigens, measured by immune‐precipitation analysis iodmated proteins on SDS‐PAGE, and of somatic L3 proteins on immunoblots, were equivalent in the two age groups. Thus, a critical surface antigen recognised in an age‐dependent manner, is present on the L3 cuticle but cannot be resolved as a conventional protein or glycoprotem constiluent.