CROSS-REACTIVE, STAGE-SPECIFIC ANTIGENS IN THE OESTRIDAE FAMILY

The larval stages of different economically important Oestridae specie s were studied for their antigenicity and cross reactivity, using ELIS A and immunoblotting. The immune sera of cattle from Algeria, Belgium, France and Switzerland were compared for their capacity to recognize the stage-specific antigens of their specific parasites Hypoderma bovi s and H lineatum, originating from different populations. This compari son was extended to other Hypoderminae species responsible for economi c losses in European animal production: H diana in roe deer and H tara ndi in reindeer. The specific host for each of these parasites recogni zed common epitopes of hypodermin C, a collagenolytic enzyme previousl y well characterized in the first instar of H bovis and H lineatum. No cross reactivity was found with other Oestridae, such as Oestrus ovis or Gasterophilus intestinalis. The specificity of hypodermin C was ev aluated using sera from animals harbouring other arthropods such as ti cks, helminths, including Fasciola hepatica and Haemonchus contortus, or protozoa such as Anaplasma sp, and no reaction was observed. The us e of hypodermin C is therefore suggested as an antigen in the immune-s urvey of economically-important Hypoderminae.