title: Relation between avidity and specificity of monoclonal anti-chlamydial antibodies in culture supernatants and ascitic fluids determined by enzyme immunoassay.
abstract: The relation between avidity and specificity of monoclonal antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis elementary body antigens was studied by enzyme immunoassay. Avidity was estimated by performing the assay in 6 sample dilutions and using a curve-fitting procedure to extrapolate antibody binding in the presence of large antibody excess. Specificity was judged by the difference between end-point titers against homologous and heterologous antigens. By this method antibodies are divided into 2 groups, high specificity (Hs) and low specificity (Ls). Usually, antibodies from ascitic fluids belonged to the Ls group. However, the Ls group also included a few antibodies in supernatants. There was an inverse relationship between avidity and specificity in the Ls group. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies of the Hs group had different relative avidities. Avid IgM antibodies from ascitic fluid are not necessarily highly specific.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000032:analysis*; D000915:Antibody Affinity; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D006825:Hybridomas / Q000276:immunology; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial