The possible role of humoral antibodies in the immune response to microsporidiosis was studied using a novel anti-exospore monoclonal antibody (MAb) P5/H1 which recognised Encephalitozoon cuniculi. The effect of the P5/H1 MAb on microsporidial growth in vitro resulted in a reduction of the numbers of E. cuniculi spores in a Vero E6 cell-line culture. This reduction in the number of infected cells and the decrease of intracellular spores in infected cells was found when MAb P5/H1 was present in cultures, compared to cultures with an irrelevant isotype control MAb. Moreover, the presence of P5/H1 MAb increased the number of phagocytosed spores in macrophage cultures, and increased the activation of macrophages measured by nitrite oxide production. These results suggest a possible partial role of specific humoral antibodies in the protection against E. cuniculi infection.

Institute of Parasitology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Faculty of Biological Sciences University of South Bohemia Branisovská 31 370 05 Ceské Budejovice Czech Republic

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