Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to fowl adenoviruses

A panel of 10 monoclonal antibodies to a hypervirulent fowl adenovirus (FAdV) strain 398A was produced. Monoclonal antibodies ( mAbs) were characterized for their isotype, neutralizing activity, ability to capture viral antigens, immunoblotting of viral polypeptides, competitive inhibition with chicken antisera and their reaction pattern with other FAdVs in indirect immunoperoxidase. Eight out of 10 mAbs reacted strongly in indirect immunoperoxidase staining with most of the FAdVs isolated from inclusion body hepatitis in Australia. One of these mAbs (6E1) was found to specifically react with the strains presumably characterized as hypervirulent FAdVs. IgG(2a) was the predominant sub-isotype. Two out of 10 mAbs neutralized the homologous strain of virus and six captured their target antigen onto a plastic surface. Chicken anti-serum to FAdV strain 398A inhibited the reaction of the seven mAbs that bound with high affinity in a blocking competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This panel of mAbs can be used to improve diagnostic assays, study pathogenesis and carry out strain identification.