Antiactin and antitubulin antibodies in canine visceral leishmaniasis

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis, a chronic and often fatal disease, is caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani. Both specific and nonspecific antibodies are produced in the course of the disease, and autoantibodies may be involved in pathogenesis. Tubulin and actin have been found to be associated with L. donovani. To learn whether antiactin and antitubulin antibodies are present in visceral leishmaniasis, we tested sera from 263 infected dogs by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibodies to the antigens L. donovani, actin, and tubulin. All samples reacted positively with L. donovani, and a high percentage reacted positively with all three antigens. Sera from 202 uninfected dogs were also tested, none reacted with L. donovani antigen, although positive reactions were observed for 8 of the samples with actin or tubulin. It was found that the antibodyantigen reaction occurred at the Fab portion of the immunoglobulin molecule. Competitive enzyme immunoassays showed that the reaction was inhibited if the positive serum was first incubated with L. donovani antigen, actin, or tubulin and then tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These results suggest that antiactin and antitubulin antibodies are present in the sera of dogs infected with visceral leishmaniasis.

Hematological and Biochemical Parameters in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Leishmania-Seropositive Dogs

“…The severe form of CanL is characterized by renal damage with glomerulonephritis due to immune complex deposition, but there are findings which propose involvement of some other mechanisms too, like migration of T cells into the glomeruli, participation of adhesion molecules, and diminished apoptosis of cells (28). The antibodies involved in the formation of these immune complexes are unknown, although antiactin and antitubulin antibodies are found in dogs with CanL caused by L. donovani (29). Renal dysfunction could be the only clinical manifestation of the CanL and immunoinduced glomerulonephritis could progress into chronic renal failure (CRF), which is the principal cause of animal death in CanL (1).…”

Characterization of the antigenic determinants of the Leishmania infantum histone H3 recognized by antibodies elicited during canine visceral leishmaniasis

“…In fact, several methods of detection such as indirect immunofluorescence and ELISA are currently used [9]; however, these techniques suffer from a relative lack of specificity because of potential cross-reactivities with proteins present in crude parasite extracts used as the source of antigen. In addition to the group formed by Leishmania-specific antigens such as gp63 [13], gp46 [14] and Kmp-11 [15], an additional important group of Leishmania antigens is constituted by evolutionarily conserved proteins like kinesin [16], actin and tubulin [17], acidic P ribosomal proteins [18][19][20], histones [21], and particular heat shock proteins (hsp) [22][23][24][25]. In spite of the sequence conservation of the latter group of proteins, the mapping of their antigenic determinants revealed that the humoral response, in humans and in canine VL, is triggered by regions of the parasite antigens which are Leishmaniaspecific.…”

Antinuclear Antibodies in Dogs with Leishmaniasis

“…In canine leishmaniasis several autoantibodies have been detected such as antinuclear antibodies and autoantibodies against mammalian basal membrane glycoproteins and cerebrosides (PATERAKI et al, 1983).…”