BOOSTER IMMUNIZATION WITH A PARTIALLY PURIFIED CITRUS TRISTEZA VIRUS (CTV) PREPARATION AFTER PRIMING WITH RECOMBINANT CTV COAT PROTEIN ENHANCES THE BINDING-CAPACITY OF CAPTURE ANTIBODIES BY ELISA

Groups of rabbits and young lambs were immunized subcutaneously and in tramuscularly with a recombinant citrus tristeza virus (CTV) coat prot ein (rCTV-CP) antigen. Three weeks after primary immunization the anim als were divided into two groups that were boosted either with rCTV-CP or with a partially purified preparation of CTV particles (ppCTV). Tw elve and 15 days after the last injection, the animals were bled and t he binding capacity of the antisera for CTV detection was examined for capture antibodies by the indirect ELISA. Considerably higher ELISA t iters were obtained from animals that were boosted with ppCTV than wit h rCP. Boosting with partially purified native antigens after priming with recombinant antigens is expected to extend the applicability of t he antisera for detecting other structural and non-structural viral an tigens by trapping ELISA. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.