Effect of detergents and acid buffer on the reactivity of Fasciola hepatica antigens.

The effect of glycine-HCl (acid) buffer on antigen extraction and of three commonly used detergents--sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), sodium deoxycholate (DOC), and Triton X-100--on the reactivity of a standard Fasciola hepatica adult-worm antigen preparation (FhWWE) was studied. Acid buffer destroyed most of the immunologic reactivity of FhWWE when tested with anti-F. hepatica serum, but apparently did not affect the antigens reactivity with an anti-S. mansoni serum. These studies suggest that elution with acid buffer should be used with caution when FhWWE is the antigenic extract used in antibody-affinity chromatography. Neither Triton X-100 nor DOC appreciably increased the reactivity of FhWWE antigens. In addition, DOC decreased the antigen-antibody interactions. Low concentrations of SDS increased the reactivity of FhWWE, but higher concentrations decreased the antigen-antibody interactions.