Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to lipopolysaccharide antigen of Leptospira interrogans serovar kremastos and canicola.

Monoclonal antibodies to Leptospira interrogans were provided by cell fusions between a myeloma cell line, P3/X63-Ag8.653, and spleen cells of BALB/c mice immunized with two different leptospiral lipopolysaccharide antigens. One antigen was prepared from Leptospira interrogans serovar kremastos strain Kyoto and the other from serovar canicola strain Hond Utrecht IV. Eighteen hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies to the former organisms and five hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies to the latter organisms were established during 6 month cultivation. On the basis of their microscopic agglutination reactivities, 18 anti-kremastos Kyoto monoclonal antibodies were classified into 10 distinct groups, and 5 anti-canicola monoclonal antibodies into 3 distinct groups.