Antibody response of Schistosoma mansoni-infected human subjects to the recombinant P28 glutathione-S-transferase and to synthetic peptides.

The 28-kilodalton antigen of Schistosoma mansoni has been previously described as having importance as the basis for a potential vaccine. The P28 recombinant molecule and three peptides derived from its primary sequence, namely the 24-43, 115-131, and 140-153 peptides, have been tested to evaluate the humoral responses of Kenyan school children previously classified as susceptible or resistant to reinfection after chemotherapy. We report here that the P28 molecule and two of the peptides studied (peptides 115-131 and 140-153) can be used for detecting specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgE, and IgA antibodies. Moreover, the IgG4 response of the susceptible population was significantly greater than that of the resistant group, whereas no differences between the two populations were noticed in total IgG anti-P28 antibodies. This suggested that IgG4 could play a role in the lack of immunity of susceptible patients. A strong IgG3 response restricted to the 140-153 peptide was observed but did not discriminate between the resistant and susceptible populations. In contrast, a marked increase in the IgA response to the 140-153 peptide epitope(s) in sera of the resistant population was noticed. Taken together, these results suggest that the P28 antigen and two of the three peptides selected could give predictive information about the development of the disease or the efficiency of vaccination with P28 as the immunogen.