CROSS-REACTING ANTIBODIES TO SARCOPTES-SUIS, CHORIOPTES-BOVIS AND NOTOEDRES-CATI AND ANTI-P-OVIS IGE IN SERA FROM SHEEP INFESTED NATURALLY WITH PSOROPTES-OVIS

For the development of immunodiagnostic tests to detect mange mite inf ections in man and animals, it is necessary to know about antigen stru cture and cross-reactivity between different mite species and other ar thropods in contact with the host. Sera from sheep infected with Psoro ptes ovis (sheep anti-P. ovis sera) showed positive reactions in dot b lots to P. ovis antigen and cross-reactivity to crude antigen extracts from Sarcoptes suis, Notoedres cati and Chorioptes bovis. Using sheep Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) sera in dot blots, weak reactions were s een to all but the Ch. bovis antigen. In SDS PAGE-separated P. ovis an tigens at least 35 different proteins could be distinguished. In weste rn blots, at least 24 out of these 35 were recognized as antigens by s heep anti-P. ovis immunoglobulin. At least 13 were recognized by sheep anti-P. ovis IgE. One of these, at 19 kDa, was recognized only with s heep anti-P. ovis IgE, the other 12 also with anti-P. ovis immunoglobu lins. Cross-reactive antigens were recognized by sheep anti-P. ovis im munoglobulins in SDS PAGE-separated, and nitrocellulose transferred mi te extracts in western blots as follows: 13 antigens in S. suis extrac ts, 9 in N. cati and 8 in Ch. bovis. Sheep SPF sera recognized an anti gen at 67 kDa in each of these 4 mite species. Rabbit anti-sheep immun oglobulins in the P. ovis antigen control bound to a protein at 28 kDa which may be sheep IgG light chain taken up by P. ovis feeding on she ep. Despite the antigenic similarities between mange mites, sufficient differences were apparent to make immunodiagnostic tests for mange fe asible. Copyright (C) 1996.