Monoclonal antibody against membrane protein of transmissible gastroenteritis virus.

Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) is a porcine coronavirus that can cause piglet diarrhea with high mortality rates. TGEV membrane (M) protein not only plays a vital role in the process of virus assembly and budding, but also induces the production of interferon-α during infection. In this study, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) designated 7G7, against the TGEV M protein was generated by inoculating BALB/c mice with TGEV followed by hybridoma technique. Immunofluorescence assays indicated that MAb 7G7 was capable of detecting cell infection by TGEV. Virus-based ELISA demonstrated that MAb 7G7 can be used as a highly specific diagnostic reagent for TGEV.