Authors

K O Sowunmi¹; C Wade¹; M J Doenhoff¹;  ¹ University of Nottingham

Discussion

The freshwater snail, Biomphalaria glabrata is crucial in the lifecycle and transmission of the trematode parasite, Schistosoma mansoni. B. glabrata snails however, vary in immune response to trematode infections. This has been attributed to interplay of factors related to both the host and parasite; one of which is that both share common carbohydrate epitopes that possibly play a role in parasite evasion of its snail host immune defence as similarly hypothesized for its definitive host - a carbohydrate based molecular mimicry. Here, using SDS-PAGE and Western Blot analyses, antibodies are tested to compare cross-reactivity of haemolymph glycoproteins of susceptible and resistant B. glabrata strains with S. mansoni glycoconjugates. Strong reactivity of polyclonal antibodies and metaperiodate treatment of blots confirmed the presence of shared glycans. Cross-reactivity also differed between susceptible and resistant strains and varied with antibody used. Identification of various shared carbohydrate determinants between strains of B. glabrata and larval stages of S. mansoni could help unravel the mechanism for susceptibility and resistance of these snails to parasite infection.