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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Animal Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #168384
Title: EARLY IMMUNE RESPONSES IN BOVINES EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED WITH THE HEMOPARASITE BABESIA BOVIS

Author
item ASENZO, GUSTAVO - CICV, INTA, ARGENTINA
item DOMINGUEZ, MARIANA - CICV, INTA, ARGENTINA
item RODRIGUEZ, ANABEL - CICV, INTA, ARGENTINA
item ECHAIDE, IGNACIO - CICV, INTA, ARGENTINA
item WILKOWSKY, SILVINA - CICV, INTA, ARGENTINA
item Suarez, Carlos
item ZAMORANO, PATRICIA - CICV, INTA, ARGENTINA
item FLORIN-CHRISTENSEN, MONICA - CICV, INTA, ARGENTINA

Submitted to: Biocell
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2003
Publication Date: 11/1/2003
Citation: Asenzo, G., Dominguez, M., Rodriguez, A., Echaide, I., Wilkowsky, S., Suarez, C.E., Zamorano, P., Florin-Christensen, M. 2003. Early immune responses in bovines experimentally infected with the hemoparasite babesia bovis [abstract]. Biocell. 27:1-172.

Interpretive Summary: We have studied the early stages of the immunological responses developed in Babesia bovis-experimentally infected bovines against several antigens that have been postulated as vaccine and diagnostic candidates. To this end, bovines were inoculated with a vaccinial (R1A) or a pathogenic (S2P) strain of B. bovis and serum samples were collected at different time points up to 66 days post infection. Recombinant forms of the following antigens of B. bovis R1A strain were produced in a prokaryotic expression system and purified by affinity chromatography: the merozoite surface antigens (MSA) 1, 2a1, 2b and 2c and the rhoptry associated protein-1. An indirect ELISA test was developed for each of these antigens. The titers obtained so far show that these tests are able to detect the appearance of specific antibodies against each of the antigens between days 15 and 42 post infection. In addition, increased and decreases of antibody titers were observed along the time period investigated. Further studies are needed to reveal if these could be due to antigenic variations in the parasites during infection. Importantly, our ELISA tests were able to detect antibodies both in infections with the homologous R1A and the heterologous S2P strains, demonstrating the presence of conserved B-cell epitopes in all studied antigens between these two strains.

Technical Abstract: We have studied the early stages of the immunological responses developed in Babesia bovis-experimentally infected bovines against several antigens that have been postulated as vaccine and diagnostic candidates. To this end, bovines were inoculated with a vaccinial (R1A) or a pathogenic (S2P) strain of B. bovis and serum samples were collected at different time points up to 66 days post infection. Recombinant forms of the following antigens of B. bovis R1A strain were produced in a prokaryotic expression system and purified by affinity chromatography: the merozoite surface antigens (MSA) 1, 2a1, 2b and 2c and the rhoptry associated protein-1. An indirect ELISA test was developed for each of these antigens. The titers obtained so far show that these tests are able to detect the appearance of specific antibodies against each of the antigens between days 15 and 42 post infection. In addition, increased and decreases of antibody titers were observed along the time period investigated. Further studies are needed to reveal if these could be due to antigenic variations in the parasites during infection. Importantly, our ELISA tests were able to detect antibodies both in infections with the homologous R1A and the heterologous S2P strains, demonstrating the presence of conserved B-cell epitopes in all studied antigens between these two strains.