REACTIVITIES OF FELINE CALICIVIRUS FIELD ISOLATES WITH MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES DETECTED BY ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY

Reactivities of feline calicivirus (FCV) field isolates with monoclona l antibodies (MAbs) were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The reactivities of the viruses in ELISA were different from our previous results using the neutralization tests (NT). Many isolat es were positive in ELISA with MAbs which recognized neutralizing epit ope 3B and/or 4. However, most were negative in NT in our previous stu dy. After absorption of two FCV strains with host cells, the non-infec tious virus fluid still reacted with MAb, which recognized epitope 3B and/or 4 in ELISA. These results indicated the possibility that neutra lizing epitopes are expressed on non-infectious virus particles or exi st as proteinaceous molecules in virus fluid.