FUSARIUM-SOLANI - IMMUNOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ALLERGENS

Allergenic components of the fungus Fusarium solani were isolated usin g (NH4)(2)SO4 Precipitation and ion-exchange column chromatography. Th e allergenicity of fractions was studied by enzyme-linked immunosorben t assay and radioallergosorbent test inhibition techniques. Proteins o f culture filtrate (CF), mycelium (MY), and spore (SP) extracts of F. solani were characterized by isoelectrofocusing, sodium dodecyl sulpha te-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and IgE-specific immunoblotting . CF antigen of F. solani contained more allergenic proteins than MY a nd SP, visible on immunoblot analysis using allergenic serum pool. A 6 5-kD protein component of CF was found to be a major allergen, as it w as strongly visible on immunoblots of all 15 patient sera tested. Cros sed immunoelectrophoresis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibi tion using rabbit antibodies raised against F. solani CF demonstrated shared antigenicity between CF, ME, and SP extracts. It was observed t hat I;:solani is a significant allergen, and most of the allergens of MY and SP extracts were found in CF extract. Therefore, CF alone can b e used in the preparation of a standard extract. However, few unique a llergenic proteins were observed in MY as well as in SP extracts of F. solani. Hence, the use of combined CF, MY, and SP extracts of F. sola ni is recommended for diagnosis and immunotherapy.