The immunodominant surface antigen of Plasmodium gallinaceum is present in both the salivary gland and oocyst sporozoites.

1. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against surface antigens of Plasmodium gallinaceum sporozoites, an avian malaria parasite, were produced using spleen cells from mice immunized with sporozoites from mosquito salivary glands (SGS) or from midguts containing oocysts (OoS). 2. All of the 15 MAbs tested (11 anti-SGS and 4 anti-OoS) reacted with SGS and OoS by indirect immunofluorescence and circumsporozoite precipitation reactions. Fourteen of these MAbs (11 anti-SGS and 3 anti-OoS) produced a Western blot (WB) pattern identical to that produced with serum from mice hyperimmunized with viable intact sporozoites. 3. All MAbs and the immune sera recognized only two polypeptide bands of approximate molecular weight 76 and 64 kDa. 4. No difference in the WB pattern was observed when 9- or 12-day SGS or OoS extracts were used as antigens in WB. This antigenic similarity was confirmed when the total protein extracts were visualized on silver-stained SDS-PAGE gel.