Serum antibody profiles of Sarcoptes scabiei infested or immunized rabbits.

The circulating antibody profiles of rabbits infected or immunized with Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis were compared. Crossed immuno-electrophoretic analysis showed that infested hosts produced serum antibody to 12 proteins (antigens) in an extract made from sarcoptic mite bodies. In contrast, rabbits immunized with an extract made from mite bodies produced antibody to 20 Sarcoptes proteins (antigens). SDS-PAGE/immunoblot analysis revealed that serum from immunized rabbits contained antibodies that bound strongly to proteins of 25 and 39-52 kD that were only barely visualized by antibodies in serum from infested rabbits.