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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, May 2000, p. 497-500, Vol. 7, No. 3
Parasitology Unit, Institut Pasteur de
Madagascar, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar,1 and
International Network of Pasteur Institutes, Institut
Pasteur, F-75724 Paris cédex 15, France2
Received 1 November 1999/Returned for modification 24 January
2000/Accepted 13 March 2000
A longitudinal study was carried out in Madagascar, the most
important focus of chromoblastomycosis (P. Esterre, A. Andriantsimahavandy, E. Ramarcel, and J. L. Pecarrere, Am. J. Trop.
Med. Hyg. 55:45-47, 1996), to investigate natural immunity to this
disease. Sequential blood samples were obtained before, during, and at
the end of a successful therapeutic trial with terbinafine, a new
antifungal drug. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot
methods, detailed analyses of antibody concentration and antigen
mapping were conducted for 136 serum samples and tentatively correlated to epidemiological and pathobiological data. Two different cytoplasmic antigens, corresponding to the two fungal species involved
(Fonsecaea pedrosoi and Cladophialophora
carrionii), were used to analyze the distribution of different
classes of immunoglobulins. This was done with respect to the origin of
the isolates, clinical and pathobiological. Although strong individual
variations were noticed, some major antigens (one of 18.5 kDa specific
for F. pedrosoi and two of 23.5 and 33 kDa, respectively,
specific for C. carrionii) corresponded to high antibody
prevalence and concentration. As some antigenic components were also
detected by immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgA antibodies, the role that
these specific antibodies could play in the immune response is discussed.
1071-412X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Humoral Immune Response in Chromoblastomycosis
during and after Therapy
*
Corresponding author. Present address: Immunology Unit,
Institut de Recherches Médicales L. Malardé, P.O. Box 30, 98713-Papeete Tahiti, French Polynesia. Phone: 689 41 64 64. Fax: 689 43 15 90. E-mail: esterre{at}malarde.pf.
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