A monoclonal antibody for distinction of invasive and noninvasive clinical isolates of Entamoeba histolytica

J Clin Microbiol. 1992 Nov;30(11):2807-13. doi: 10.1128/jcm.30.11.2807-2813.1992.

Abstract

Approximately 10% of the world population is infected with Entamoeba histolytica, but only 10% of the carriers develop symptomatic amebiasis. This discrepancy could be explained by the genotypic differences between the morphologically indistinguishable invasive and noninvasive strains of E. histolytica currently identified by zymodeme analysis, a technique that is unsuitable for routine diagnostic laboratories. Here we report the production of a monoclonal antibody against E. histolytica and its use in an immunofluorescence assay to identify invasive isolates cultured from stool samples of infected patients in several regions where amebiasis is endemic: Bangladesh, Colombia, and Mexico. After testing a total of 88 E. histolytica isolates, the correlation between zymodeme characterization and the immunofluorescence assay with the invasive isolate-specific monoclonal antibody was 100%. The epitope detected by the invasive isolate-specific monoclonal antibody resides in a previously undescribed internal protein with molecular masses of 84 and 81 kDa in axenic and polyxenic E. histolytica strains, respectively.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal*
  • Antibodies, Protozoan
  • Antigens, Protozoan
  • Carrier State / parasitology
  • Entamoeba histolytica / immunology*
  • Entamoeba histolytica / isolation & purification
  • Entamoeba histolytica / pathogenicity
  • Entamoebiasis / parasitology
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Protozoan
  • Antigens, Protozoan