Anti-idiotypic antibodies in patients with different clinical forms of paracoccidioidomycosis

Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 2000 Mar;7(2):175-81. doi: 10.1128/CDLI.7.2.175-181.2000.

Abstract

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is the most prevalent systemic mycosis in Latin America. Patients with PCM show a wide spectrum of clinical and pathological manifestations depending on both host and pathogen factors. Two clinical forms of the disease are recognized: the acute or juvenile form and the chronic or adult form. The major antigenic component of the parasite is a glycoprotein of 43 kDa (gp43). All patient sera present antibodies against gp43 (anti-gp43) and, as demonstrated before by our group, spontaneous anti-idiotypic (anti-Id) antibodies (Ab2) can be detected in patient sera with high titers of anti-gp43. Since it has been postulated that anti-Id antibodies may have a modulating function, we decided to purify and characterize anti-Id antibodies in this system. The possible correlation of Ab2 titers with different clinical forms of disease was also verified. Results showed that purified human anti-Id antibodies (human Ab2) recognized specifically the idiotype of some murine monoclonal anti-gp43 (17c and 3e) but not others (40.d7, 27a, and 8a). Spontaneous anti-Id antibodies were found in all clinical forms of disease. The majority of patients (88%, n = 8) with the acute form of PCM had high titers of Ab2. However, among patients with the multifocal chronic form of the disease, only 29% (n = 14) had high titers of Ab2; 70% (n = 10) of patients with the unifocal chronic form had low titers of Ab2. A correlation between Ab2 titers and anti-gp43 titers was observed before and during antimycotic treatment. Our results suggest that titers of anti-Id antibodies correlate with the severity of PCM in humans.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / blood
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / immunology*
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / isolation & purification
  • Antibodies, Fungal / blood
  • Antibodies, Fungal / immunology*
  • Antibodies, Fungal / isolation & purification
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / isolation & purification
  • Antifungal Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antigens, Fungal*
  • Fluconazole / therapeutic use
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Fungal Proteins*
  • Glycoproteins / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Itraconazole / therapeutic use
  • Mice
  • Oligosaccharides / immunology*
  • Paracoccidioides / immunology
  • Paracoccidioidomycosis / blood
  • Paracoccidioidomycosis / drug therapy
  • Paracoccidioidomycosis / immunology*
  • Paracoccidioidomycosis / physiopathology

Substances

  • 43 kDa protein, Paracoccidioides
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic
  • Antibodies, Fungal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antifungal Agents
  • Antigens, Fungal
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Glycoproteins
  • Oligosaccharides
  • Itraconazole
  • Fluconazole