AFFINITY OF BRAZILIAN WILD MAMMAL IMMUNOGLOBULINS TO BACTERIAL PROTEINS A AND G.

Staphylococcal A and streptococcal G proteins are widely used in immunoassays when specific immunological reagents are unavailable, such as for wild animals. The affinity of bacterial proteins A and G to the immunoglobulins of seven Brazilian mammals were tested, including black-tufted marmoset ( Callithrix penicillata , n = 5), golden-bellied capuchin ( Sapajus xanthosternos , n = 13), woolly mouse opossum ( Micoureus demerarae , n = 6), long-nosed armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus , n = 5), collared anteater ( Tamandua tetradactyla , n = 5), ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis , n = 6), and vampire bat ( Desmodus rotundus , n = 5). Blood samples were collected from animals that were rescued in peri-urban rainforest fragments. Sera pools of each species were tested by ELISA to determine the intensity of each bacterial protein affinity to the immunoglobulins. When comparing the affinity to both proteins, immunoglobulins from D. rotundus , S. xanthosternos , and T. tetradactyla presented a higher affinity to protein G, whereas a higher affinity to protein A was found for immunoglobulins of C. penicillata and L. pardalis . The only species that presented a very low affinity to both bacterial proteins was M. demerarae . This study can be used as a reference for further studies on the development of sensitive and specific immunodiagnostic assays to be used for the monitoring of the health of these wild mammals.