Screening of peptide mimics of Schistosoma japonicum male worm and its protecitve immunity

Objective To select epitope mimics of male worm soluble antigens of Schistosoma japonicum(Sj) and to explore their immune protection in mice. Methods Phage random peptide library of 12 mer was screened with IgG to soluble Sj male worm antigen,Specific positive phage clones selected through three rounds of screenings detected by Dot-ELISA were pooled and applied to mice for vaccination and immunoprotection assessment against Schistosoma japonicum. Results Eighteen randomly picked phage clones all displayed antigenicity.The pooled positive phages detected by ELISA elicited specific antibody in mice ,and 31.72% worm reduction rate as well as 51.54% egg reduction rate in mice,revealing significant difference as compared with that of the controls (P0.001). Conclusion The epitope mimics of antigenicity and immunogenicity of Sj soluble male worm antigen by phage peptide-display library can elicit partial protection against Schistosoma japonicum.