Serum antibody response in children with Giardia lamblia infection and identification of an immunodominant 57-kilodalton antigen.

Giardia lamblia antigens which react with sera from children with G. lamblia infection were investigated by sodium-dodecyl polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. Serum IgG, IgM and IgA response to the antigens were immunochemically characterized. Serum antibodies from all giardiasis patients, but none of the controls, was found to react with a 57-kilodalton antigen. The 57 kDa antigen elicited IgG and IgA but not IgM antibodies. The protein nature of the 57 kDa antigen was demonstrated by loss of antibody recognition after trypsin treatment of G. lamblia trophozoites. Subcellular fractionation of G. lamblia trophozoites followed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting showed that the 57 kDa antigen was probably not a component of the cytoskeleton.