The application of monoclonal antibody panels to characterize pestivirus isolates from ruminants in Great Britain.

Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against bovine virus diarrhoea virus and hog cholera virus. They were used to test 101 field isolates of ruminant pestivirus in a simple binding assay using an indirect immunoperoxidase label on fixed cell cultures. The monoclonals were divided into three panels: (1) pestivirus group specific, (2) hog cholera specific, (3) selectively reactive with ruminant pestiviruses. The reaction patterns with panel 3 were analyzed by a computer spreadsheet to determine the percentage match with seven reference patterns. Field viruses could be divided into two main groups. Group A consisted of 73 (87%) of the 84 bovine isolates and three (19%) of the 16 ovine, and was reactive with 40% or more of panel 3. Group B showed only limited reactivity with panel 3 and comprised 13/16 (81%) of the ovine (border disease) isolates together with the remaining 11 (13%) bovine viruses.