Antigenic evaluation of a recombinant baculovirus-expressed Sarcocystis neurona SAG1 antigen.
Abstract: Sarcocystis neurona is the primary parasite associated with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). This is a commonly diagnosed neurological disorder in the Americas that infects the central nervous system of horses. Current serologic assays utilize culture-derived parasites as antigen. This method requires large numbers of parasites to be grown in culture, which is labor intensive and time consuming. Also, a culture-derived whole-parasite preparation contains conserved antigens that could cross-react with antibodies against other Sarcocystis species and members of Sarcocystidae such as Neospora spp., Hammondia spp., and Toxoplasma gondii. Therefore, there is a need to develop an improved method for the detection of S. neurona-specific antibodies. The sera of infected horses react strongly to surface antigen 1 (SnSAG1), an approximately 29-kDa protein, in immunoblot analysis, suggesting that it is an immunodominant antigen. The SnSAG1 gene of S. neurona was cloned, and recombinant S. neurona SAG1 protein (rSnSAG1-Bac) was expressed with the use of a baculovirus system. By immunoblot analysis, the rSnSAG1-Bac antigen detected antibodies to S. neurona from naturally infected and experimentally inoculated equids, cats, rabbit, mice, and skunk. This is the first report of a baculovirus-expressed recombinant S. neurona antigen being used to detect anti-S. neurona antibodies in a variety of host species.
Publication Date: 2004-11-26 PubMed ID: 15562602DOI: 10.1645/0022-3395(2004)090[1027:AEOARB]2.0.CO;2Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Evaluation Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research study has developed a new method for the detection of antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona, a parasite associated with a common neurological disorder in horses. The new method utilizes a baculovirus system to express a recombinant S. neurona protein, which proves to be effective in detecting antibodies in a variety of host species.
Context and Problem Statement
- Sarcocystis neurona is a parasite that causes equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a common neurological disorder affecting horses in Americas.
- The current procedures for serologic assays of EPM use culture-derived parasites, which is laborious, time-consuming, and may inaccurately detect antibodies due to cross-reactivity with other related parasites.
- This challenges the efforts to effectively detect and monitor S. neurona infections, necessitating the need for an improved detection method.
Research Approach and Findings
- The research aimed at developing an alternative method that utilizes the surface antigen 1 (SnSAG1) of S. neurona, an immunodominant antigen specifically recognized by antibodies in infected individuals.
- The SnSAG1 gene was first cloned and then expressed as a recombinant protein (rSnSAG1-Bac) in a baculovirus system, a commonly used method for producing recombinant proteins.
- When assessed through immunoblot analysis, the rSnSAG1-Bac antigen effectively detected S. neurona antibodies in a variety of hosts, including horses, cats, rabbits, mice, and skunks.
Significance of the Research
- This is the first time a baculovirus-expressed recombinant S. neurona antigen has been created and used for the detection of S. neurona-specific antibodies.
- This groundbreaking development will help improve the diagnostic accuracy and monitoring of S. neurona infections, ultimately enhancing disease control measures.
- Moreover, the successful detection of S. neurona antibodies across different host species indicates the potential broad applicability of this method.
Cite This Article
APA
Gupta GD, Lakritz J, Saville WJ, Livingston RS, Dubey JP, Middleton JR, Marsh AE.
(2004).
Antigenic evaluation of a recombinant baculovirus-expressed Sarcocystis neurona SAG1 antigen.
J Parasitol, 90(5), 1027-1033.
https://doi.org/10.1645/0022-3395(2004)090[1027:AEOARB]2.0.CO;2 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Protozoan / blood
- Antigens, Protozoan / genetics
- Antigens, Protozoan / immunology
- Cats
- Encephalomyelitis / diagnosis
- Encephalomyelitis / immunology
- Encephalomyelitis / parasitology
- Encephalomyelitis / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Immunoblotting / veterinary
- Mephitidae
- Protozoan Proteins / genetics
- Protozoan Proteins / immunology
- Rabbits
- Recombinant Proteins / genetics
- Recombinant Proteins / immunology
- Sarcocystis / genetics
- Sarcocystis / immunology
- Sarcocystosis / diagnosis
- Sarcocystosis / immunology
- Sarcocystosis / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Dubey JP, Howe DK, Furr M, Saville WJ, Marsh AE, Reed SM, Grigg ME. An update on Sarcocystis neurona infections in animals and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM).. Vet Parasitol 2015 Apr 15;209(1-2):1-42.
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