Echinococcus granulosus in Spain: strain differentiation by SDS-PAGE of somatic and excretory/secretory proteins

A comparison was made, by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), of excretory/secretory (ES)-crude and immunopurified (with the corresponding anti-host serum) hydatid fluids-and somatic (S)-protoscoleces-proteins, from several ovine, equine, swine, bovine and human Echinococcus granulosus Spanish isolates. Likewise, the host influence on parasitic ES protein expression was studied, comparing purified hydatid fluids from ovine and equine cysts obtained from natural hosts and in RNMI mice. Purified hydatid fluids patterns, under reducing conditions, yielded the most precise differentiation of Spanish strains of E. granulosus into three groups (ovine-bovine-human, equine and swine), the finding of a characteristic 82 kDa band in equine isolates, and an unusual arrangement of bands between 50 and 6 kDa in swine samples. In addition, differences were found amongst crude and purified hydatid fluids, especially in bovine and swine isolates. The total protein patterns of protoscoleces were most complex, and therefore could not be used for strain differentiation. Finally, the purified hydatid fluids from cysts developed in natural and experimental hosts showed similar protein patterns, suggesting the lack of host influence, under our experimental conditions, on the expression of parasitic ES proteins.