[Monoclonal antibodies in virology].

The application of hybridoma technology to the preparation of monoclonal antibodies has had a strong stimulatory effect on many areas of virological research. This development has expanded our knowledge with respect to antigenic variation among viruses and detailed analysis of complex antigenic structures of virus proteins and has also led to the elucidation of the molecular foundations of pathogenesis and virulence in model systems. The practical importance of these results spans many important areas of applied virology such as the development of new viral vaccines, passive immunization and diagnosis of viral infections.