DIRECT SELECTION OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES NEUTRALIZING THE CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF AEROMONAS-SOBRIA

Monoclonal antibodies directed against the cytotoxic activity of Aeromonas sobria were raised by immunising mice with a culture supernatant concentrated by ammonium sulphate precipitation. Neutralising antibodies were specifically selected for by exposing hybridomas to cytotoxic levels of the immunising preparation. Cultures free from cytopathic effects after three hours were selected for futher investigation. Ten cytotoxin resistant hybridomas were isolated but only two of these produced detectable neutralising activity in Vero and rabbit red blood cell assays. Different polypeptide binding patterns were observed for the neutralising antibodies compared with the other antibodies in immunoblotting studies. One of the neutralising antibodies was shown to act at an early stage in the development of cytotoxicity, probably by inhibiting binding. © 1990.