Open AccessMonoclonal antibodies against a 97-kilodalton antigen from Aspergillus flavus
Author(s) -
Seth Hetherington,
Scott Henwick,
David M. Parham,
Christian C. Patrick
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1098-6588
pISSN - 1071-412X
DOI - 10.1128/cdli.1.1.63-67.1994
Subject(s) - aspergillus flavus , antigen , monoclonal antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , hypha , biology , conidium , aspergillus fumigatus , antibody , western blot , chemistry , biochemistry , immunology , botany , gene
We prepared a panel of five monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against Aspergillus flavus that all reacted against one 97-kDa antigen by western blot (immunoblot). Flow cytometry demonstrated that these antibodies bound (in increasing degrees) to all morphologic stages of A. flavus growth: conidia, swollen conidia, and hyphae. Cross-reactivity among species was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of fungal culture filtrates. Four MAbs reacted with 10 of 11 A. flavus isolates, and the fifth one reacted with 9 of them. One MAb also reacted with A. fumigatus, two reacted with A. niger, A. wentii, and A. nidulans, and all five reacted with A. ochraceus. None reacted with A. terreus, A. glaucus, A. versicolor, or a Penicillium species. Each MAb bound to A. flavus hyphae in formalin-fixed paraffin sections of a muscle biopsy from a confirmed human case of invasive aspergillosis. In summary, these MAbs identified a 97-kDa antigen found on A. flavus that is both surface bound and an exoantigen. Either the same or a cross-reacting antigen is present in A. fumigatus and other Aspergillus species.