Analysis of the anti-Schistosoma mansoni surface antibody response during murine infection and its potential contribution to protective immunity

Absorption of serum from mice chronically infected with homogenized schistosome eggs reduced antibody binding to the schistosomulum surface by 94%, indicating that almost all schistosomulum surface recognition during chronic infection is due to epitopes shared with the egg. Absorption of the serum with egg homogenate from which protein antigens had been removed by boiling and digestion with proteinase K resulted in a similar reduction of antisurface antibody demonstrating that all the shared epitopes that are recognized were carbohydrate in nature.