Characterization of a 31-kda specific antigen from Parastrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongylidae)

Praphathip Eamsobhana¹, Anchalee Tungtrongchitr¹, Darawan Wanachiwanawin¹, Hoi-Sen Yong², Joon-Wah Mak³

1. Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand

2. Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur

3. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

CITATION: Praphathip Eamsobhana, Anchalee Tungtrongchitr, Darawan Wanachiwanawin, Hoi-Sen Yong, Joon-Wah Mak. Characterization of a 31-kda specific antigen from Parastrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongylidae). International Medical Research Journal. 1998 Jun;2(1):9–12. 

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ABSTRACT

A 31 kDa specific antigen of Parastrongylus cantonensis was previously shown in immunoblotting to be potentially useful for diagnosis of human parastrongyliasis. The present showed that this 31-kDa component appeared to be a glycoprotein. Immunoblotting using serum from a patient with parasitologically confirmed parastrongyliasis revealed no inhibition of its antigenicity following treatment with periodate. As the 31-kDa specific band could still be observed after carbohydrate destruction, the sugar residue of this glycoprotein antigen is therefore not responsible for the specificity in immunodiagnosis of human Parastrongylus cantonensis infection.

KEYWORDS: Parastrongylus (=Angiostrongylus) cantonensis, specific antigen, immunoblotting