Antigenuria in chronic chagasic patients detected by a monoclonal antibody raised against Trypanosoma cruzi.

A monoclonal antibody (B2/5) raised against Trypanosoma cruzi was able to immunoprecipitate a major 100 kDa polypeptide in 84% of the urines collected from chronic chagasic patients. Other polypeptides were also detected. The antibody recognized polypeptides on the surface of epimastigotes (150-25 kDa) and metacyclic trypomastigotes (150-50 kDa), suggesting that the antigens share a common epitope.