Waghela S D, Melendy D, Cruz D, Wagner G G
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
Vet Parasitol. 2000 Dec 20;94(1-2):133-9. doi: 10.1016/s0304-4017(00)00375-7.
Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for A. marginale were used to test the antigenic integrity of A. marginale grown in vitro in bovine erythrocytes co-cultured with endothelial cells. Both the mAbs reacted in the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test with A. marginale grown in vitro and also detected the antigens in Western immunoblots of SDS-PAGE separated antigens made from A. marginale infected erythrocytes from the cultures. Furthermore, active replication was evident as [35S]-methionine is incorporated by A. marginale present in the second passage of a culture maintained for six weeks as shown by immunoprecipitation of labeled antigens by the mAbs. This indicates that A. marginale grown in the in vitro culture system described previously [Waghela et al., Vet. Parasitol. 73 (1997) 43] maintain antigenic character, and with further development the system can be used for preparing immunogens or diagnostic antigens.
