Enzyme immunoassay for rabies antibody in hybridoma culture fluids and its application to differentiation of street and laboratory strains of rabies virus.
A rapid and sensitive enzyme immunoassay is described for detecting rabies antibody in hybridoma culture fluids. Glass fiber filter disks were used to immobilize gamma-irradiated mouse neuroblastoma cells infected with street or laboratory strains of rabies virus. Bound rabies-specific antibody was detected by reaction with horseradish peroxidase-labeled goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin G. The assay was performed in a 96-well filtration device developed by Cleveland et al. (J. Clin. Microbiol. 15:402-407, 1982) for the typing of herpes simplex viruses. When partially disrupted cells were used, both internal and external viral antigens were available for reaction. The procedure is rapid (less than 4 h for completion) and requires only small amounts of fluid, and the gamma-irradiated antigen is noninfectious. When the procedure was used to screen 145 fluids from rabies-immune spleen-myeloma cell fusions, 132 were positive for rabies antibody. Other commonly used assays for the detection of rabies-specific antibody were less sensitive. Simultaneous analyses of many hybridoma fluids against a battery of street and laboratory strains of rabies virus are possible and allow rapid selection of useful monoclones.
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D006825:Hybridomas; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011818:Rabies / Q000276:immunology; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen
D000914:Antibodies, Viral