Cross reactivity between the antigens of Periplaneta americana and Triatoma infestans

The cockroach Periplaneta americana (Pa) and the reduviid Triatoma infestans (Ti) are two very common insects in Argentina that pollute indoor and outdoor environments. They are also strongly immunogenic in animals and in atopic men. Several immunological methods such as serological absorption procedures, diffusion gel methods and capillary electrophoresis were applied in order to establish the existence of common glycoprotein epitopes in the cockroach and in the reduviid. The presence of specific antibodies (IgG & IgE) were detected in rabbits as well as in human sera. The RAST and RAST-inhibition confirmed the cross-reactivity between these two antigens. Capillary electrophoresis evoked similar patterns among Pa, Ti and the moults of the nymphs of Ti. All these findings have clinical and epidemiological importance.