Production and characterization of a monoclonal antibody to a major concanavalin A--nonbinding antigen of Aspergillus fumigatus.

A hybridoma secreting immunoglobulin G1 antibody was produced against Aspergillus fumigatus. In this study we used interleukin-4 as a growth factor to augment the survival and multiplication of immunoglobulin G1-secreting hybridomas. The antigen recognized by this monoclonal antibody is a low-molecular weight concanavalin A-nonbinding component of A. fumigatus. The monoclonal antibody affinity-purified antigen showed specific reactivity with serum from patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, whereas all allergic asthmatic patients with skin-test reactivity to A. fumigatus demonstrated only low levels of antibodies similar to those in normal control subjects. This antigen failed to show cross-reactivity with other fungal antigens. These results indicate that this monoclonal antibody can be used for the purification of specific antigens useful in the immunodiagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.