Patterns of human antibody reactions in coccidioidomycosis.

Sawaki, Y. (Veterans Administration Hospital, San Fernando, Calif.), M. Huppert, J. W. Bailey, and Y. Yagi. Patterns of human antibody reactions in coccidioidomycosis. J. Bacteriol. 91:422-427. 1966.-At least two antigen-antibody systems in coccidioidomycosis have been demonstrated by immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis, including the use of I(131)-coccidioidin. Sera which were positive in the conventional complement-fixation (CF) test, but negative in the tube precipitin (TP) test, yielded only one line of precipitate in the immunodiffusion test. In immunoelectrophoresis, also, there was only one precipitate arc which appeared in the gamma(2)-globulin region. On the other hand, sera which were positive in both CF and TP tests yielded two different lines in the immunodiffusion test. In immunoelectrophoresis, also, there were two precipitate arcs: one in the gamma(2)-globulin region and the other in the gamma(1)-globulin area. Radioimmunoelectrophoresis demonstrated that the antibody activity in IG-G globulin, roughly parallels the CF titer. A similar correlation existed between the IG-M antibody activity and the TP reactivity. Antibody activity was present in the IG-A globulin but it did not reflect either CF or TP activity.