Preliminary results towards ciguatoxin immunodetection.

Due to the lack of purified ciguatoxin (CTX), monensin was used as a model for developing an enzyme immunoassay to detect CTX. Specific antibodies directed against monensin have been produced in rabbits and mice using a monensin-protein immunogen obtained in bulk quantities. Rabbit polyclonal and mouse monoclonal (MAb) antibodies of high specificity and affinity have been produced. Using MAb 2H8, in a competitive micro-ELISA performed in Terasaki plates, the detection limit for free monensin was 75 pg. No cross-reactivity was detected against CTX but a procedure requiring only 100 micrograms of hapten is under current investigation with a brevetoxin (PbTx-3), another marine toxin with a polyether backbone structure similar to CTX and recently commercially available.