[Design of a recombinant antigen for the diagnosis and prevention of larval hydatidosis]

The paper deals with the design of recombinant vector make-ups, with the expression of Echinococcus hybrid proteins, and with the study of their immunogenic properties. Theoretical rationale is given for the choice of the parasitic gene superexpression system (E. coli cells of SG 13009 strain--recombinant plasmid pQE/EgF). The authors show that the use ofpolymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers homologous to the structures of unique genes coding for Echinococcus antigen is promising for the run of the preparative quantities of fragments of these genes. They consider the basic stages of obtaining hybrid EgF antigen: the isolation of genomic DNA from Echinococcus protoscolexes; the run of preparative quantities of an EgF DNA fragment; the obtaining of vector pQE plasmid DNA; the design of a recombinant make-up; the screening of positive clones; the recombinant plasmid expression of hybrid protein and its purification. The commission tests of EgF antigen in enzyme immunoassay using 93 human serum samples revealed the following: the sensitivity and specificity were 83.8 and 77.4%, respectively. The recombinant protein of EgF was found to exert a significant protective action on the development of E. multilocularis larvocysts in non-inbred albino mice.