Characterization and localization of Paragonimus westermani antigen stimulating antibody formation in both the infected cat and rat.

Applicability of the adult Paragonimus westermani antigen for detection of anti-immature P. westermani antibodies in experimentally infected rats, a paratenic host of this lung fluke, was examined. The serum antibodies of the cats and rats infected with P. westermani metacercariae were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the adult-fluke antigen. The ELISA titers of serum samples of the rats infected with only immature flukes were as high as those of the cats infected with adult flukes. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the immunoblotting technique showed that a major protein band of 27,000 daltons was recognized in the sera of the infected cats and rats. Immunoperoxidase staining applied on the sectioned flukes provided evidence showing that the antigenic substance was located on the surface of the gut epithelium and in the luminal contents in both adult and immature flukes. The adult-fluke antigen containing the 27,000-dalton substance is applicable as a standard antigen for diagnosis of paragonimiasis westermani in not only definitive hosts but also in paratenic hosts.