Immunolocalization of secretory proteins of Aspergillus fumigatus using monospecific polyclonal antibodies in a murine model.

The incidence of life-threatening mycoses caused by opportunistic fungi has increased dramatically in recent years with members of the genera Candida and Aspergillus being the most commonly encountered species. Prompt initiation of antifungal therapy for good prognosis of such cases is highly dependent on accurate diagnosis. The potential of metabolic antigens in the diagnosis of aspergillosis was investigated in the present study. Two proteins of 18 and 70 kDa were identified with success rate of 35% and 60% respectively based on their reactivity with patient sera of clinically diagnosed cases of aspergillosis. The antibodies raised against 70 and 18 kDa proteins in rabbits were found to be useful in detection of A. fumigatus in the kidneys of a mouse model of aspergillosis.