Monoclonal antibodies for bacterial identification and taxonomy: 1985 and beyond.

Contemporary bacterial serology relevant to medicine involves poly- and monoclonal antibodies to study pathogenic bacteria and nonpathogenic organisms useful in controlling infectious diseases. Monoclonal antibody applications include immunodiagnostics, prophylaxis and serotherapy, and microbial biotechnology and molecular immunochemistry. If used in parallel with antisera, the analytic potential of monoclonal antibodies is better realized. However, the entire range of advantages from the use of monoclonal antibodies can only be attained if the antibodies are well characterized.