Monoclonal antibodies directed against the flagella of Campylobacter jejuni: production, characterization and lack of effect on the colonization of infant mice.

Eight monoclonal antibodies have been derived from Balb/c mice hyperimmunized with the purified flagella from Campylobacter jejuni strain 81116. These monoclonal antibodies are directed against flagella as demonstrated by reaction in ELISA against flagellate and aflagellate antigens, radio-immunoprecipitation and electro-immunoblotting techniques. Some of the antibodies react with a 60K minor protein as well as the 62K flagella protein. This protein may be related to an antigen expressed on the surface of the organism and detectable by immunogold labelling with one of the monoclonal antibodies. None of the antibodies causes the aggregation of bacteria or inhibits bacterial motility, unlike polyclonal anti-flagella antiserum. Moreover, none of the antibodies tested protected infant mice from colonization with C. jejuni strain 81116 even though partial protection (28%) was observed with syngeneic anti-flagella anti-serum. Absence of protection is probably due to the cryptic nature of the flagella epitopes investigated or lack of antibody activity in the gastrointestinal tract.