Development of an ELISA-system for the assessment of furunculosis vaccines

As an alternative method for challenge experiments in fish a sandwich-ELISA has been established for the detection of potentially protective antibody populations. Assay specificity depends on monoclonal antibodies (mabs) dire cted against different antigens of Aeromonas salmonicida, the causative age nt of furunculosis. Comparable levels of salmon antibodies against LPS and the A-layer protein were recorded by ELISA and antigen binding assay. These studies, together with the first analysis of trout sera refer to the speci ficity and suitability of the ELISA-system for monitoring of individual ant ibody populations. A study of different mabs against the A-layer protein po ints to the possibility for detecting at least partially different antibody populations against this virulence factor.