Monoclonal-antibody-mediated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of reticuloendotheliosis viruses.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is described for the detection of reticuloendotheliosis viruses (REVs). The assay uses a mixture of monoclonal antibodies (MCAs) prepared against a 62-kilodalton REV envelope glycoprotein (gp62) to capture antigen, rabbit anti-REV serum as detection antibody, and peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG as indicator antibody. The MCAs were reactive with REV strain T, chick syncytial virus, and duck infectious anemia virus but unreactive against Marek's disease and avian leukosis viruses. The ELISA was compared with complement fixation test and REV immunofluorescent assay of infected fibroblasts, plasmas, and egg albumen from infected chickens. The lower limit of gp62 detection was about 120 ng of REV protein. Limit dilution of infectious REV was detected after 7-8 days of cultivation of infected fibroblasts.