Lesions and Saliva-Specific Antibody Responses in Rabbits with Immediate and Delayed Hypersensitivity Reactions to the Bites of Glossina morsitans centralis

Abstract

Rabbits exposed to feeding tsetse flies developed cutaneous hypersensitivity responses to fly bites. These responses had characteristics of immediate and delayed type hypersensitivity. Saliva components from the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans centralis were electrophoretically separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Major salivary proteins of 160, 92, 66, 64, 55, 42, 33, 28, and 15 kilodaltons were identified. Separated salivary components were transferred to nitrocellulose filters and probed with lectins and with whole sera and purified IgG from rabbits which had been exposed, via fly feeding, to tsetse antigens for variable periods. Many of the salivary proteins were identified as glycoproteins. Several major salivary proteins were recognized by antibodies from sensitized rabbits.