The use of monoclonal antibodies in (reverse) passive haemagglutination tests for herpes simplex virus antigens and antibodies.

Three monoclonal antibodies against herpes simplex virus type 2 have been tested for their suitability as reagents in reverse passive haemagglutination. Two of these antibodies with specificity for virus glycoprotein D, when linked to red blood cells, were able to capture antigens without being agglutinated, but addition of immune serum subsequently led to agglutination. Haemagglutination using these monoclonal antibody-linked, antigen-captured red cells was readily applicable to testing human sera for antibodies to herpes simplex virus and the titres obtained correlated with those from virus plaque neutralisation tests. The procedure has been termed "Specific Antigen Capture Passive Haemagglutination." A further monoclonal antibody with specificity for the major DNA-binding protein of type 2 herpes virus-infected cells (a nonstructural protein) showed conventional reverse passive haemagglutination when linked to red blood cells and was specific for type 2 herpes simplex virus. The nature and potential uses of these simple reverse passive haemagglutination procedures using monoclonal antibody reagents are discussed.