Specific antigen of Gnathostoma spinigerum for immunodiagnosis of human gnathostomiasis

Sera from four patients with parasitologically confirmed gnathostomiasis, 15 patients with presumptive gnathostomiasis, 64 patients with various parasitic infections and 19 healthy adults were studied by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot analysis for their reactivities against somatic extract of Gnathostoma spinigerum third-stage larvae (L3). It was found that the L3 extract was highly complex consisting of more than 20 antigenic components, a few of which gave reactions with sera from the healthy controls. Extensive cross-reactions of the parasite's antigen with sera from patients with other parasitic infections occurred. A specific antigen of G. spinigerum with a mol. wt of 24,000 (24k) was found to react with all parasitologically proven patients, five of the presumptive patients, one of the patients with other parasitic infections and none of the healthy individuals. This 24k component of G. spinigerum is a potential diagnostic antigen for use in the immunodiagnosis of human gnathostomiasis.