Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies specific for Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo type hardjobovis and Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo type hardjoprajitno

Murine monoclonal antibodies were produced by immunizing BALB/c mice with a killed whole-cell antigen prepared from Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar hardjo type hardjobovis. Six of these antibodies recognized epitopes on the homologous antigen and on whole-cell antigen prepared from Leptospira inte rrogans serovar hardjo type hardjoprajitno. These antibodies did not cross- react with whole-cell antigens prepared from L. borgpetersenii serovar sejr oe, 10 other pathogenic Leptospira serovars, or the saprophytic Leptospira biflexa serovar patoc. Three other monoclonal antibodies reacted with antig ens prepared from the 2 hardjo serovars and serovar sejroe but not with ant igens from the 10 other pathogenic serovars, or serovar patoc. The epitopes recognized by all of the hardjo-specific antibodies and 2 of the 3 hardjo/ sejroe-specific antibodies were susceptible to sodium meta-periodate oxidat ion, All of the antibodies were characterized by Western blots with the har djobovis whole-cell antigen. Each of the 9 monoclonal antibodies was inhibi ted from binding to the hardjobovis antigen by bovine sera which were obtai ned from cattle experimentally infected with hardjobovis and from field cat tle, with anti-serovar hardjo microscopic agglutination test antibody titre s ranging from 100 to 12 800. Some of these antibodies may be suitable for incorporation into competitive enzyme immunoassays for the specific detecti on of antibodies to either of the hardjo serovars.