In areas of Leishmania chagasi transmission the ability to control leishmania infection is associated with IFN-gamma production. In visceral leishmaniasis down-regulation of T cell responses is mediated by interleukin-10 (IL-10). In this study we evaluated the lymphoproliferative response, IFN-gamma and IL-10 production on lymphocyte cultures stimulated with recombinant leishmania antigens in s...

The performances of ELISA assays with different antigen preparations, such as Leishmania amazonensis or L. chagasi lysates and the recombinant antigens rK-39 and rK-26, were compared using sera or eluates from dried blood collected on filter paper to detect anti-Leishmania antibodies in dogs from a visceral leishmaniasis-endemic area in Brazil. Of 115 IFAT-reactive dogs at 1:40 titre, 106 (92.2...

We have evaluated the diagnostic utility of six antigenic regions of the Toxoplasma gondii MIC2, MIC3, M2AP, GRA3, GRA7, and SAG1 gene products, assembled in recombinant chimeric antigens by genetic engineering, in order to replace the soluble, whole-cell tachyzoite extract in serological assays. Serum samples from 100 adults with acquired T. gondii infection and from 30 infants born to mothers...

During in vitro encystation, Giardia lamblia expresses several stage-specific proteins which are recognized in immunoblots by antisera raised against antigens from three different pathogens. The antigens belong to two different families of conserved stress proteins: (i) HSP60 purified from Legionella pneumophila and recombinant HSP60 from Mycobacterium bovis BCG and (ii) recombinant HSP70 from ...

The recombinant protein technology considerably promoted the development of rapid and accurate treponema-specific laboratory diagnostics of syphilis infection. For the last ten years, the immunodominant recombinant inner membrane lipoproteins are proved to be sensitive and specific antigens for syphilis screening. However, the development of an enlarged T. pallidum antigen panel for diagnostics...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis genes encoding immunologically relevant proteins were isolated by systematically screening a lambda gt11 recombinant DNA expression library with a collection of murine monoclonal antibodies directed against protein antigens of this pathogen. These antibodies, previously characterized by a World Health Organization workshop on monoclonal antibodies against mycobacteria...