HPLC FRACTIONATED SOLUBLE EGG ANTIGEN FROM SCHISTOSOMA-MANSONI ELICITS A HETEROGENEOUS HUMAN IMMUNE-RESPONSE

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from five chronic schistosom iasis patients, three former patients, a SEA sensitized individual, an d normal controls were tested in lymphoblastogenesis assays for their ability to proliferate in response to soluble egg antigen (SEA) and so luble worm antigen preparation (SWAP) from Schistosoma mansoni. Cells from all patients and the SEA sensitized individual gave significantly higher responses than the normal controls when stimulated with SEA an d SWAP. However, the chronic patients' SEA responses were much lower t han those of the former patients and the SEA sensitized individual. Wh en cells from the same donors were tested in the in vitro granuloma as say, all produced significant granulomatous responses except the norma l controls. Once it was established that all individuals in the study gave significant lymphoproliferative responses and granulomatous react ions, SEA was subjected to HPLC fractionation to identify immunogenic protein components of SEA. HPLC separation yielded 25 major fractions. SEA responses from the sensitized individual and former patients exhi bited broad, unregulated responsiveness including fractions with neutr al, less charged proteins while the chronic patients demonstrated a mo re restricted range of responsiveness. SEA-HPLC fractions 14, 21, and 22 contain the most immunodominant proteins based on cellular prolifer ation data from reactive individuals tested.