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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, May 2000, p. 384-389, Vol. 7, No. 3
1071-412X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Molecular Markers in Acute and Chronic Phases of Human Toxoplasmosis: Determination of Immunoglobulin G Avidity by Western Blotting

P. T. Marcolino,1 D. A. O. Silva,1 P. G. Leser,2 M. E. Camargo,2 and J. R. Mineo1,*

Laboratory of Immunology, Federal University of Uberlândia, MG 38.401-136,1 and Fleury Laboratory, São Paulo, SP 01333-910,2 Brazil

Received 12 October 1999/Returned for modification 18 November 1999/Accepted 21 January 2000

We characterized antigenic markers recognized by human serum samples from patients presenting with acute and chronic toxoplasmosis by the determination of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody avidity by a Western blot modified technique (avidity immunoblotting) that includes the dissociation of the antigen-antibody interaction with 6 or 8 M urea solutions. Human serum samples from 20 patients presenting with recent infection and from 20 patients with chronic infection were analyzed. It was observed that bands p16, p32, p38, p40, p43, p54, p60, p66, and p97 were more frequently recognized by low-avidity IgG in recent infection and by high-avidity IgG in chronic toxoplasmosis. From these antigenic bands, p38 can be characterized as an optimal antigenic marker of low avidity for recent forms of toxoplasmosis due to a significant decrease of their frequencies (from 80 to 0%) after treatment with 6 M urea solutions. The p30 antigen was not considered a good marker to distinguish acute from chronic infection since corresponding IgG antibodies were determined to have high avidity in both phases of the infection. Thus, the avidity immunoblotting assay proved to be a useful tool for determining antigenic markers of recent and chronic phases of Toxoplasma gondii infection.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory of Immunology-Department of Pathology, Campus Umuarama, Bl.4C, Uberlândia MG-38.401-136, Brazil. Phone: 55-34-218-2195. Fax: 55-34-218-2333. E-mail: jrmineo{at}ufu.br.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, May 2000, p. 384-389, Vol. 7, No. 3
1071-412X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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