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Heterogeneity in antigenic composition of Aspergillus fumigatus isolates from clinical specimens and in antibody response of patients infected with this fungus was investigated by immunoblotting. A considerable quantitative and qualitative difference was found in composition of the culture filtrate antigens derived from a reference strain (ATCC 13073) and 8 clinical isolates of A. fumigatus on SDS-PAGE and immunoblots. The crude CF antigen of a strain AFG7 was selected to identify the serologically reactive and specific components by immunoblotting. Out of more than 36 components separated by electrophoresis, transblotted to nitrocellulose sheet, and reacted with sera that showed a positive reaction to A. fumigatus or other fungal antigens on immunodiffusion tests, merely four or so were found useful to serodiagnosis of aspergillosis. An antigen of 82KD was found most reactive and specific component so as to be contained in the standard preparation. Several other components, for example 11KD, 26KD, 30KD and 31KD, also possessed relatively high reactivity and specificity and seemed to be worth while purifying and characterizing. Antibody binding activity (reactivity) of the antigenic components was clearly shown on immunoblots because some were faintly stained with Coomassie blue but darkly stained on immunoblots, while some others behaved contrary to them. A number of components seemed to carry not only species specific but cross reactive antigenic determinants. Immunoblotting proved very useful to identify serologically reactive and specific components that should be present in the antigen to be employed to the serodiagnosis of aspergillosis.
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