RESUMEN
This work aims at identifying an effective protocol to raise anti-Leishmania chagasi amastigote antibodies in different animal species. Protocols of immunization by subcutaneous injections of L. chagasi promastigote and amastigote lysates or by either intravenous or subcutaneous inoculation of live metacyclic promastigotes were assessed in mice, rabbits, and dogs. The immunization with live promastigotes produced a strong humoral immune response against L. chagasi amastigotes in all three animal species. The sera from animals immunized with the promastigote lysate did not react with amastigotes and, conversely, the sera from mice immunized with the amastigote lysate did not react with promastigotes. Taken all data together, the immunization through infection with metacyclic promastigotes was considered the most satisfactory way to immunize animals for obtaining anti-amastigote and anti-promastigote antibodies, since it did not only allowed the obtention of antibody against the two forms of the parasite, but it is also cheap, less laborious than carrying out the purification of amastigotes from infected tissues and avoid the use of a large number of hamsters for obtention the amastigotes, necessary to produce the immunogenic lysates. Furthermore, this immunization protocol was comparable to the amastigote lysate immunization protocol for the obtaining of mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).