Group and strain-specific neutralization sites of infectious bursal disease virus defined with monoclonal antibodies.

Two somatic cell hybridizations were performed utilizing splenocytes from mice immunized with one or more strains of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). Supernatants from hybridoma cell lines were initially screened by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against multiple strains of IBDV. Cell lines that secreted antibodies with ELISA reactivity patterns of interest were cloned, and their monoclonal antibodies (MCAs) were subsequently tested in cross-virus-neutralization tests. Two of the nine MCAs selected exhibited strong neutralizing activity and precipitated IBDV antigens in agar gel precipitin tests as well. MCA B69 significantly neutralized only the cloned D78 strain of IBDV, whereas MCA R63 neutralized all IBDV strains (representing both serotype I and II viruses) against which it was tested. Results of competitive ELISAs that used the R63 and B69 MCAs showed that the two neutralization sites on the D78 strain were not overlapping.