Isolation of antigen from Litomosoides carinii macrofilariae detecting serum antibodies due to Onchocerca volvulus.

Crude aqueous Litomosoides carinii adult worm extract was used as antigen for the detection of antibodies in sera from African patients with proven onchocerciasis (n = 45) resident in rural endemic areas of Togo and Sierra Leone. In 71% of cases this extract was found to produce 1 to 5 precipitation arcs in immunoelectrophoresis. Using a crude aqueous extract from adult Onchocerca volvulus, precipitation tests were positive in 75% of cases. The complexity of the L. carinii crude extract was shown by PAG-disc electrophoresis, PAG-electrofocusing, immunoelectrophoresis and crossed immunoelectrophoresis with the appropriate rabbit-antiserum. An antigen detecting onchocercal antibodies was isolated by two step preparative flat bed electrofocusing in granulated gel (PEGG). The antigen (pI 6.55, molecular weight 55 to 60 kd as estimated by SDS-PAG electrophoresis) was very suitable for antibody demonstration in double diffusion test and immunoelectrophoresis. Preliminary controls for specificity were performed by diffusing the antigen against sera from human and animal helminthoses including filarial infections. In contrast to the crude L. carinii extract no reaction was observed with sera from helminthic infections others than filariasis.