Identification of candidate proteins for the diagnosis of Bartonella henselae infections using an immunoproteomic approach

Abstract

Bartonella henselae is an emerging gram-negative facultative intracellular pathogen transmitted via Ctenocephalides felis (cat fleas) or cat scratches. Bartonellosis is present mainly in the form of cat scratch disease (CSD), bacillary angiomatosis and infective endocarditis (IE). The methods used to diagnose B. henselae rely on culturing, immunofluorescent assays and molecular techniques. The objective of the present study was to identify candidate proteins for the serodiagnosis of bartonellosis with the differential discrimination of both clinical scenarios: CSD and IE. For this, an immunoproteomic approach combined with 2-DE, immunoblotting and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight MS has been developed. Immunoproteomic profiles of sera collected from patients with CSD and IE were compared with those of blood donors. We identified several candidate proteins as phage-encoding Pap31 protein and an outer membrane protein of BH11510 that, in our view, might be useful for the serodiagnosis of bartonellosis.

Heme Binding Proteins of Bartonella henselae Are Required when Undergoing Oxidative Stress During Cell and Flea Invasion

“…We failed to detect HbpB in B. henselae using the western blot method. This result is in good agreement with those of proteomic analysis of outer membrane fractions of B. henselae and B. quintana [51], [52], [53], [54], [55], [56], which showed that HbpB was not detectable using this method. Since HbpA is the most abundant Hbp in B. henselae [52], [51], we checked its level in B. henselae pNS2Trc and B. henselae pNS2Trc ::hbpA AS using mouse antibody directed against HbpB.…”

Immunoproteomics and Immunoinformatics Analysis of Cryptococcus Gattii : Novel Candidate Antigens for Diagnosis

“…The proteins recognized in vitro by antibodies in this work probably have the same antigenic determinants that induce antibodies in vivo. This approach has frequently been used to identify immunogenic proteins and, consequently, new targets to diagnose several diseases [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]. Although similar results have been achieved in cryptococcosis using murine [55] and koala models [56], this is the first report in human beings.…”

Immunogenicity of trimeric autotransporter adhesins and their potential as vaccine targets

“…Unlike research towards clinical serodiagnostic tools including immunogenic proteins of B. henselae [230][231][232][233], and towards the development of feline vaccines [234][235][236][237], there has been no research towards the development of human vaccines preventing B. henselae infections. One possible obstacle in this research is the variable gene pool of B. henselae strains promoting antigenic variation and defining the specific immune response [238].…”