SERUM ANTIBODY PROFILES OF SARCOPTES-SCABIEI INFESTED OR IMMUNIZED RABBITS

The circulating antibody profiles of rabbits infested or immunized wit h Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis were compared. Crossed immuno-electroph oretic 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 p roduced antibody to 20 Sarcoptes proteins (antigens). SDS-PAGE/immunob lot analysis revealed that serum from immunized rabbits contained anti bodies that bound strongly to proteins of 25 and 39-52 kD that were on ly barely visualized by antibodies in serum from infested rabbits.