DETECTION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN-G AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN-A TO ASPERGILLUS-FUMIGATUS BY IMMUNOBLOT ANALYSIS FOR MONITORING ASPERGILLUS-INDUCED LUNG-DISEASES

The aim of the study was to investigate whether patients with Aspergil lus-induced lung disease can be monitored by immunoblot analysis to de tect antibodies to Aspergillus fumigatus (Af), Immunoblotting was perf ormed by incubating 57 langitudinally collected sera from 13 patients on nitrocellulose sheets, blotted with Af antigen, separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-poly;acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Bound antibodie s were demonstrated by perosidase-labelled antihuman immunoglobulins ( Ig)G and IgA antiserum and diaminobenzidine plus H2O2 as substrate. Th e immunoblot patterns were related to the patients' clinical status an d time, Each patient had a characteristic immunoblot pattern that vari ed with time. There was a relationship between disease activity or cli nical response and changes in immunoblot antibody patterns: a rise in anti-Af IgG and IgA antibodies was seen in sera collected during activ e disease, compared with before active disease, and a significant decl ine in anti-AfIgG and IgA was demonstrated in sera collected during re covery compared with during active disease. Only in the acute stage of allergic branchopulmonary aspergillosis were IgA antibodies against A f antigens of <20,000 Da demonstrated, Immunoblot analysis can be used to monitor the disease activity and the responses to treatment of pat ients with Aspergillus-induced lung diseases. Changes in specific immu noglobulin A may be more informative than specific immunoglobulin G.