Wuchereria bancrofti recombinant antigen-derived poly- and monoclonal antibodies for the detection of circulating antigen(s) in the sera of lymphatic filarial patients

Development of an Antigen Detection ELISA for Bancroftian Filariasis Using BmSXP-Specific Recombinant Monoclonal Antibody

Lymphatic filariasis is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease responsible for morbidity and disability that affects 1.2 billion people worldwide, mainly the poor communities. Currently, filarial antigen testing is the method of choice for the detection of bancroftian filariasis, and to date, there are two commonly used tests. In the present study, a recently reported recombinant monoclonal antibody (5B) specific to BmSXP filarial antigen was used in developing an ELISA for the detection of circulating filarial antigen in sera of patients with bancroftian filariasis. The performance of the ELISA was evaluated using 124 serum samples. The ELISA was positive with all sera from microfilaremic bancroftian filariasis patients (n = 34). It also showed 100% diagnostic specificity when tested with sera from 50 healthy individuals and 40 patients with other parasitic diseases. The developed assay using the novel 5B recombinant monoclonal antibody could potentially be a promising alternative antigen detection test for bancroftian filariasis.

Construction and bacterial expression of a recombinant single-chain antibody fragment against Wuchereria bancrofti SXP-1 antigen for the diagnosis of lymphatic filariasis

Global programmes to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (GPELF) require mapping, monitoring and evaluation using filarial antigen diagnostic kits. To meet this objective, a functional single-chain fragment variable (ScFv) specific for filarial Wuchereria bancrofti SXP-1 (Wb-SXP-1) antigen was constructed for the diagnosis of active filarial infection, an alternative to the production of complete antibodies using hybridomas. The variable heavy chain (VH) and the variable light chain (kappa) (Vκ) genes were amplified from the mouse hybridoma cell line and were linked together with a flexible linker by overlap extension polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The ScFv construct (Vκ-Linker-VH) was expressed as a fusion protein with N-terminal His tag in Escherichia coli and purified using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) without the addition of reducing agents. Immunoblotting and sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to analyse the antigen binding affinity of purified ScFv. The purified ScFv was found to recognize recombinant and native Wb-SXP-1 antigen in microfilariae (Mf)-positive patient sera. The affinity of ScFv was comparable with that of the monoclonal antibody. The development of recombinant ScFv to replace monoclonal antibody for detection of filarial antigen was achieved. The recombinant ScFv was purified, on-column refolded and its detection ability validated using field samples.

Cloning and expression of a 12 kDa serospecific epitope of Wuchereria bancrofti

The immunoscreening of a microfilarial cDNA library of Wuchereria bancrofti with microfilaraemic sera revealed many positive clones expressing filarial antigens. One immunoreactive clone, designated PMR1, was shown to encode a protein of 114 amino acid residues. The cDNA fragment was subcloned into an expression vector, Pinpoint XaT. The resulting recombinant (r)PMR1-biotin fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli (BL21 [DE3] pLys) and was affinity purified on avidin resin. Analysis of sera of different groups for filarial antibodies against rPMR1 showed it to be highly reactive with microfilaraemic and clinical filarial sera compared to its reactivity with endemic and nonendemic controls. This indicates that the gene sequence of cDNA is expressing an immunodominant epitope, which could be useful in serodiagnosis of lymphatic filariasis.

Development of antigen detection ELISA for the diagnosis of brugian and bancroftian filariasis using antibodies to recombinant filarial antigens Bm-SXP-1 and Wb-SXP-1

Antibodies specific to recombinant filarial antigens Wb-SXP-1 and Bm-SXP-1 have been used to develop a sandwich ELISA for the detection of circulating filarial antigen (CFA) in sera from patients with lymphatic filariasis caused by Wuchereria bancrofti of Brugia malayi. In patients with W. bancrofti infections, a high proportion of microfilaria (mf) positive (MF) and low proportions of patients with chronic pathology (CP) and endemic normals (EN) showed the presence of CFA. Similarly in patients with brugian infections a high proportion of mf positive individuals contained CFA while none of the patients with chronic pathology or endemic normals showed the presence of CFA. Sera from patients with other parasitic infections (OPI) like O. volvulus, Loa loa, Ascaris lumbricoides and from individuals residing in areas non-endemic to filariasis did not exhibit any reactivity. This assay shows promise for the detection of microfilaremic infections in lymphatic filariasis and its usefulness as a diagnostic tool especially in B. malayi infections, needs to be further evaluated.