Changes in Antibody Profile after Treatment of Human Onchocerciasis

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Abstract
To define the changes in antibody response to Onchocerca volvulus antigens after treatment ofpatients with onchocerciasis, IgG and 19E antibodies were examined quantitatively and qualitatively in 21 patients and 3 control individuals before and sequentially for 14 days after treatment with diethylcarbamazine. The quantitative levels oflgE and IgG responses (both polyclonal and O. volvulus-specific) remained essentially unchanged for all patients, but 9 ofthe 21 patients showed intensified responses to one or more parasite-specific antigens, and 8 of 21 developed antibodies to previously undetected antigens. There was a significant correlation between the intensities ofinfection and the development ofnewly recognized anti-O. volvulus antibodies. These studies demonstrate that O. volvulus-specific 19E and IgG antibody responses are, at least transiently, enhanced by treatment with diethylcarbamazine and that after treatment, parasites possibly release antigens previously hidden from the host's immune response.