DETERMINATION OF ANTIGENIC PROTEIN OF DICROCOELIUM DENDRITICUM IN NATURALLY INFECTED SHEEP

Dicrocoeliasis is an important livestock disease caused by digenean trematode namely Dicrocoelium dendriticum. The aim of the present study was to identify somatic and metabolic antigens of adult D.dendriticum in naturally infected sheep. Adult parasites collected from the liver of naturally infected sheep, were washed in cold phosphate buffer saline (PBS, pH=7.4) and stored at -20°c until analysis. Antigen used for the detection of antibody included somatic and metabolic of mature trematode. Somatic and excretory-secretory antigens prepared with haemogenization and incubation of adult helminths, respectively. Electrophoretic patterns of excretory secretory and somatic antigens of D.dendriticum were revealed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamid gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and westernblotting using sera from naturally harbored sheep. In western blot analysis of antigens D.dendriticum demonstrate 1 major antigenic polypeptide 130 kDa in both somatic and metabolic antigens and 6 protein bands ranging from 25 to 60 kDa in excretory-secretory antigens which were recognized by serum of sheep naturally infected. Our findings showed that the 130 kDa molecular weight polypeptide could be used as specific antigen for the immunodiagnosis of sheep dicrocoeliasis.