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An estimate of the size of the metacyclic variable antigen repertoire of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

C. M. R. Turner ,
J. D. Barry ,
I. Maudlin  and
K. Vickerman
C. M. R. Turner
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ
J. D. Barry
Affiliation:
Institute of Genetics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G11 5JS
I. Maudlin
Affiliation:
Tsetse Research Laboratory, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol BS18 7DU
K. Vickerman
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ
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Summary

A group of 27 variable antigen type (VAT)-specific monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) have been made against metacyclic forms of a cloned stock of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. In combination, these labelled in immunofluorescence 99·3% of trypanosomes in salivary probes from tsetse flies. The 0·7% of unlabelled trypanosomes were believed to be uncoated forms. The ability of a mixture of antibodies to kill metacyclics in vitro by complement-mediated lysis, thus neutralizing their infectivity for mice, was tested. The antibody mixture consisted of 24 McAbs plus 3 VAT-specific rabbit antisera. In 12 replicate experiments this mixture of antibodies prevented infection of mice. Parallel controls showed that neutralization was probably antibody-mediated and VAT specific. However, we have not been able to repeat these results on a long-term basis; this may be due to a loss of neutralizing activity by one of the McAbs. The successful neutralization experiments indicate that the number of VATs in the metacyclic repertoire of one stock of T. b. rhodesiense is limited to at most 27.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 97 , Issue 2 , October 1988 , pp. 269 - 276
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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References

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