Monoclonal antibodies against Enterocytozoon bieneusi of human origin

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is clinically the most significant among the microsporidia infecting humans, causing chronic diarrhea, wasting, and cholangitis in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS. The lack of immune reagents is largely due to the absence of methods for laboratory propagation of E. bieneusi. We recently described a procedure for the concentration and purification of spores from diarrheic stool of infected humans. Purified spores were used to immunize mice for production and screening of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against E. bieneusi. The eight immunoglobulin M MAbs generated and fully characterized did not cross-react with other human microsporidia or with other microorganisms normally present in stool. One of the MAbs, 2G4, reacted with E. bieneusi spores in stools from monkeys and humans, without background fluorescence, which makes it an ideal diagnostic reagent. It also recognizes intracellular stages of the parasite and will be suitable for determining tissue distribution of E. bieneusi in infected hosts. At least two immunodominant antigens of E. bieneusi of 33,000 and 35,000 Da exist, which were recognized by rabbit and mouse antisera. The availability of MAbs against E. bieneusi will simplify considerably the diagnosis of this infection in humans and will provide tools for epidemiologic investigations regarding the true prevalence of the infection in various human and mammalian populations and the environmental sources of infection.