Toxoplasma antigens recognized by immunoglobulin G subclasses during acute and chronic infection.

The immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass response to Toxoplasma gondii antigens during the acute and chronic stages of T. gondii infection were studied by using immunoblots with reduced antigen (RA) and nonreduced antigen (NRA) preparations. Serum samples were from individuals with acute or chronic T. gondii infection, and sequential samples were from women who seroconverted during gestation and were treated with spiramycin. IgG1 antibodies were predominant in sera from each of the groups and recognized a large number of RA and NRA. In the latter group of patients, IgG1 and IgG3 were the first antibodies to appear in response to the infection. In all groups, an antigen with a molecular weight (MW) of 30,000 was the most intensely stained and frequently recognized by IgG1 antibodies in NRA preparations. In RA preparations, antigens of MW 35,000 and 30,000 were the most intensely stained and frequently recognized by IgG1 antibodies. An antigen with an MW of 22,000 was intensely stained in the IgG1 immunoblots of the NRA preparation and to a lesser extent in the RA preparation. In contrast to immunoblots with IgG1 antibodies, very few antigens in the RA and NRA preparations were detected by IgG2 and IgG3 antibodies; IgG4 antibodies rarely detected any antigens. Of interest was that IgG2 antibodies detected antigens distributed over the entire MW range, whereas those detected by IgG3 antibodies were located mostly below the 35,000 MW marker. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results paralleled those of the immunoblots in that IgG1 antibodies were predominant.