Reactivity of antigenic fractions obtained from Toxoplasma gondii evaluated with Western blotting

: A toxoplasma gondii antigen, has been obtained by sonication, separated by SDS gel electrophoresis system in 10% acrylamide and blotted onto nitrocellulose paper (Western Blot). The antigen has been tested against: serum samples from subjects T. gondii negative; serum samples from patients with acute Toxoplasma infection; serum samples from subjects who had serologic evidence of infection with T. gondii, but IgM negatives. IgG and IgM immune response has been evaluated. Gel stained with Coomassie Blue revealed 48 protein fractions; only twenty fractions reacted as antigen. In particular, we have observed that only one protein fraction has been recognized by IgM antibodies present in the serum of patient with acute Toxoplasma infection (with lymphoadenopathy); some protein fractions have been recognized only by IgG antibodies; some protein fractions have been recognized in the same time by IgG and IgM antibodies in the same serum sample.