A monoclonal antibody against Mycobacterium lepraemurium which recognizes a cross-reacting mycobacterial antigen.

Spleen cells from BALB/c mice infected two weeks earlier with Mycobacterium lepraemurium were fused with myeloma cells, and, using an indirect immunofluorescence assay, a hybridoma was selected which secreted ananti-M. lepraemurium IgM antibody. In the same assay, this monoclonal antibody also recognized 17 other species of Mycobacteria (including M. leprae) and two strains of Nocardia.