Identification of immunodominant antigens of Paramphistomum epiclitum1 Arora Ritu, Singh N.K., Hassan S.S., Juyal P.D.* Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana-141 004, india. *Corresponding author: E-mail: juyalpd@rediffmail.com
1Part of M.V.Sc. thesis of the first author, GADVASU, Ludhiana. Abstract Adult Paramphistomum epiclitum and Gastrothylax crumenijer were collected from the rumen and reticulum of goats and buffaloes for the preparation of somatic (SAg) and excretory/secretory (E/S) antigen (ESAg) using standard methodology. Indoplanorbis exustus were collected and screened for shedding of amphistome cercaria. The infected snails were maintained to harvest the metacercaria of P. epiclitum which was used to raise experimental infected sera in sheep. Sodiwn dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed 14 polypeptides in the range of 14.1 to 95.5 kDa for somatic antigen of P. epiclitum (PSAg). Seven polypeptides in the range of 34.5 to 106.0 kDa could be seen in E/S antigen of P. epiclitum (PESAg) from buffaloes. The somatic antigen of G. crumenijer (GSAg) and its E/S antigen (GESAg) showed 19 polypeptides in the range of 13.7 to 129.6 kDa and 10 polypeptides in the range of 19.9 to 84.1 kDa, respectively. Western blotting of PSAg with serum ofsheep infected with P. epiclitum revealed 5 polypeptides while GSAg showed 2 polypeptides. Two immunodominant polypeptides in range of 37–40 kDa were found specific for P. epiclitum. The identified specific polypeptides could be utilized for early specific diagnosis of P. epiclitum infection. Top Keywords Paramphistomum epiclitum, Gastrothylax crumenifer, SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, Diagnosis. Top |