ENHANCED NEUTRALIZATION OF HUMAN RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS BY MIXTURES OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES TO THE ATTACHMENT (G) GLYCOPROTEIN

Neutralization of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) by monoclon al antibodies specific for the G protein was evaluated in a microneutr alization test. Only certain antibodies showed some degree of neutrali zation, reflected in a reduction of virus titre (10-20 times maximum), compared with negative controls. In contrast, a pool of antibodies th at recognized conserved, group-specific and strain-specific epitopes s howed a significant increase in virus neutralization (up to 500-1000 t imes). By testing binary, tertiary and quaternary combinations, four a ntibodies were identified which showed maximal effect in the neutraliz ation test. These findings are discussed in terms of the location of a ntibody binding sites in the G protein primary structure and their rel evance for HRSV neutralization and immunobiology.