An Immunogenic Onchocerca volvulus Antigen: A Specific and Early Marker of Infection

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 251; no. 5001; pp. 1603 - 1605
• Main Authors: Lobos, Edgar, Weiss, Niklaus, Karam, Marc, Taylor, Hugh R., Ottesen, Eric A., Nutman, Thomas B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 29-03-1991; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Helminth; Antibody Specificity; Antigens; Antigens, Helminth - analysis; Antigens, Helminth - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Blindness; Cellular biology; Child; Children; Cloning, Molecular; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Directional control; Diseases caused by nematodes; DNA; Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; Filariases; Helminthic diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Intestinal volvulus; Introns; Mali; Medical sciences; Onchocerca - genetics; Onchocerca - immunology; Onchocerciasis; Onchocerciasis - diagnosis; Onchocerciasis - immunology; Onchocerciasis - prevention & control; Onchocercosis; Pan troglodytes; Parasite antigens; Parasitic diseases; Physiological aspects; RNA; Mali; Human; Host parasite relation; Antibody; Onchocerca volvulus; Gene expression; Helminthiasis; Onchocerciasis; Infection; Antigen; Nematod disease; Complementary DNA; Immunogenicity; Helmintha; Nemathelminthia; Filariosis; Recombinant protein; Invertebrata; Molecular cloning; Nematoda; ELISA assay; Humoral immunity
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.2011741

Onchocerciasis (river blindness) is a serious health problem and a severe obstacle to social and economic development, especially in Africa. A complementary DNA fragment coding for an Onchocerca volvulus antigen (OV-16) was cloned and expressed in the plasmid vector pCG808fx. Immune responses to this O. volvulus-specific recombinant antigen were detectable in patients with documented onchocerciasis; the antibody response was also detectable at 3 months and at more than 1 year before infection could otherwise be detected in humans and in chimpanzees experimentally infected with O. volvulus third-stage larvae.