[Using anti-sera and monoclonal antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus to study its cross-reactions with Alternaria alteria and Penicillium sp].

Using rabbit polyclonal and mouse monoclonal antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus, we analyzed their cross-reaction with Alternaria alteria and Penicillium sp. by enzyme immuno assay (EIA) and radioimmunoprecipitation (RIP). It was found that neither of these two categories of antibodies reacted with Alternaria alteria while both reacted with Penicillium sp.. When components from Penicillium sp. precipitated by rabbit antisera were analyzed on 10% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), a wide range of bands with molecular weights larger than 90 K and a single 70 K band were observed. No band was found after the rabbit antisera was adsorbed with Aspergillus fumigatus. Moreover, two monoclonal antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus cross-reacted with high molecular weight (greater than 200K) components of Penicillium sp.. These results suggest that the antigen of Alternaria alteria is different from that of Aspergillus fumigatus, and that Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus fumigatus share some antigenic components. In another experiment, human allergic sera containing IgE antibodies to Aspergillus fumigatus were tested against Penicillium sp. by RIP. No cross-reaction was observed. This suggests that in spite of sharing common antigenic components between these two fungi, the allergenic components of Aspergillus fumigatus is different from those of Penicillium sp..