HUMAN RECOMBINANT PUUMALA VIRUS-ANTIBODIES - CROSS-REACTION WITH OTHER HANTAVIRUSES AND USE IN DIAGNOSTICS

A panel of seven human monoclonal Fabs against Puumala virus (PUU) nuc leocapsid protein (N) was obtained by panning an antibody phage-displa y library prepared from the spleen of a PUU-immune individual. Three a ntibodies reacted in immunoblotting and cross-reacted strongly with Tu la and Sin Nombre virus recombinant N proteins. These antibodies mappe d to the amino terminus of the N protein. One PUU glycoprotein 2 (G2)- specific Fab obtained against a novel epitope (G2c) cross-reacted with Khabarovsk virus but not with the other hantavirus serotypes. An N pr otein-specific Fab was successfully used as capture antibody to detect PUU-specific serum IgG and IgM antibodies in an enzyme immunoassay. T he result demonstrates the usefulness of recombinant human Fabs as pot ential diagnostic tools.