GENERATION OF NEUTRALIZING ANTI-B19 PARVOVIRUS HUMAN MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES FROM PATIENTS INFECTED WITH HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS

The prevalence of IgG antibodies to human B19 parvovirus (anti-B19) is elevated in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), especially during the later stages of HIV infection. In subjects with high titers of IgG anti-B19, 86% (19 of 22) had circulating B cells producing anti-B19. Immortalization of these cells with Epstein-Barr virus and generation of heterohybridomas by fusion with a mouse x human heteromyeloma resulted in the production of two cell lines producing IgG1kappa monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Both of these MAbs were specific for conformational epitopes on the VP2 capsid protein of B19 parvovirus and both were capable of neutralizing 50% of the viral infectivity in a human erythroid colony-forming unit assay at less-than-or-equal-to 1 mug of MAb/mL. These human MAbs are potentially useful in the treatment of acute B19 parvovirus infection.