Monoclonal antibodies directed to the O antigen of Salmonella serogroup E cross-react with lipopolysaccharides of Salmonella serogroups C, F and S.

Four murine hybridoma clones secreting monoclonal antibodies (mAb) directed against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigen of S. newington, serogroup E1, were obtained after a fusion of spleen cells of mice immunized with formaldehyde-killed bacteria and mouse myeloma cells of the X63-Ag8.653 line. Antigen binding properties and specificity of the mAb were studied in bacterial agglutination tests, passive hemolysis and its inhibition, passive hemagglutination tests, passive hemolysis and its inhibition, passive hemagglutination and immunoenzyme tests (ELISA and immunoblotting). Three of the mAb (24E6, 29E1 and 45F6) were agglutinating and were active in all tests used, while mAb 31H12 did not agglutinate bacteria but revealed a high reactivity in the immunoenzyme reactions. It was found that the mAb reacted with LPS and Salmonella strains from serogroup E (E1, E2, E3 and E4) as well as from serogroups C (C1 and C4), F and S thus showing that the O3 antigen possesses more than one epitope, one of which is represented on the LPS antigens of the serovars from the cross-reacting groups mentioned. According to the known chemical the most probable recognized epitope consists of mannose with beta-linkage to the next monosaccharide residue in the LPS chain.