 BackResearch Article ScienceAsia 22 (1996): 143-162 |doi: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.1996.22.143 FASCIOLA GlGANTICA: IDENTIFICATION OF ADULT ANTIGENS, THEIR TISSUE SOURCES AND POSSIBLE ORIGINSPRASERT SOBHONa, SIRINART ANANTAVARAa, TUNYARAT DANGPRASERTa, ARDOOL MEEPOOLa, CHAITIP WANICHANONa, VITHOON VIYANANTb, SUCHART UPATHAMb, THANIT KUSAMRANc, TASSANEE CHOMPOOCHANd, SUREE THAMMASARTd, PIYANUT PRASITTIRATdABSTRACT: Fasciola gigantica is a major parasitic disease of cattle, water buffaloes and sheep. In Thailand it costs economic damages in terms of meat, milk production and labour losses, estimated at 300-350 million bahts per year. Convenient and reliable immunodiagnostic methods based on the detections of either antibodies or antigens in the blood of infected animals should be devised in place of the idelltification and counting of eggs in faeces. Before reaching such goals certain basic information concerning the parasite's biology must be known. In the present study, using immunoblotting technique we have identified major antigens in adult parasites as those originated from the tegument at molecular weights (MW) 66, 58, 54, 47 kD, and those from the caecum at MW 27, 26 kD. The two tissue sources of antigens have been stUdied by light and electron microscopies, as well as immuno-microscopic detection methods, in order to understand the distribution, relative amount, as well as possible origins of the antigens in the tissues. The tegument-associated antigens were concentrated in the tegument surface membrane, the outer rim of the tegument cytoplasm and tegument cells. The caecal-associated antigens were present in the lumen and the apical cytoplasm of caecal epithelial cells, and thus were probably digestive enzymes secreted in the form of zymogen granules. a Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Received April 26, 1996
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