Analysis of the Echinococcus granulosus Laminated Layer Carbohydrates by Lectin Blotting

Cystic hydatid disease is caused by cystic larval (metacestode) stages of Echinococcus granulosus. This parasite can potentially occur all over the world especially in Mediterranean and Middle East countries and some parts of Africa, Latin America and China which have major foci of human infections. The cyst wall of metacestodes consists of inner, middle and external layers. To date, little attention has been paid to the immunological studies of the laminated (middle) layer. Because of the presence of diagnostic carbohydrate antigens, this layer is important. In this report, the characterisation of the laminated layer carbohydrate of the E. granulosus was investigated by peroxidase-labelled lectin conjugate blots. The comparison of SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis confirms that many laminated layer bands are glycoproteins, especially 50-66 kDa and 25-29 kDa bands. These glycoproteins contain beta-Methyl-D-mannoside, N-Acetyl-beta-D-glucosamine, beta-L-Fucose and N-Acetyl-beta-D-galactosamine.