An Australian team has used fecal IgA study to characterize the immune response of 233 pigs to Blastocystis antigens. The team reports that a majority of the pigs (81.5%) show fecal IgA reactivity against Blastocystis proteins of molecular weight 17.5-120kDa, but reactivity to a higher weight protein (>250kDa) was found in only 18.5% of the pigs. Immunosuppressed pigs and piglets were much more likely to show reactivity to the high molecular weight protein. The full free text of the paper is available from Parasite Immunology.
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Jan 2017