Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium, and S. japonicum: identification of genus-, species-, and gender-specific antigenic worm glycoproteins

Immunoreactive glycoproteins of Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium, and S. japonicum adult worms which are genus-, species-, and gender-specific, or react with sera of patients infected with other parasites, have been identified. Schistosomes were metabolically labeled with [35S]methionine and the concanavalin-A binding glycoproteins that were immunoprecipitated with sera of patients infected with one of three species of Schistosoma or Trichinella spiralis, Taenia solium, Echinococcus granulosus, Entamoeba histolytica, or Wuchereria bancrofti were analyzed by one- and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The S. mansoni glycoproteins that were immunoprecipitated by sera of patients infected with S. mansoni were indistinguishable from those precipitated by sera of patients infected with S. haematobium. Analogous results were obtained by use of S. haematobium glycoproteins as the radiolabeled antigen. In contrast, sera of patients infected with S. japonicum or parasites not of the genus Schistosoma immunoprecipitated fewer than half of the major S. mansoni or S. haematobium glycoproteins. Likewise, several S. japonicum glycoproteins were cross-reactive, while others exhibited genus, species, and gender specificity.