Production and partial characterization of monoclonal antibodies to Mycobacterium leprae.

Monoclonal antibodies to Mycobacterium leprae were produced by the fusion of BALB/c splenocytes and lymph node cells to BALB/c myeloma (NSI/1) cells. Eleven monoclonal antibodies were characterized as to their reactivity with M. leprae and 18 other mycobacterial species by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunofluorescence. Two monoclonal antibodies reacted only with M. leprae, and the other nine showed unique patterns of reactivity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. One monoclonal antibody (IIH9) reacted with a 68,000-dalton protein present in extracts from M. leprae, M. tuberculosis H37Rv, M. gastri, and M. smegmatis. Potential uses for these antibodies in serological tests and immunochemical analyses are discussed.