Monoclonal antibodies with specificities for Streptococcus pneumoniae group 9 capsular polysaccharides.

Streptococcus pneumoniae group 9 includes four capsular polysaccharide types: 9A, 9L, 9N and 9V. We have generated four mouse monoclonal antibodies against group 9 polysaccharide using heat-treated S. pneumoniae strains of different capsular polysaccharides types as immunogens. The specificities of the monoclonal antibodies were determined by ELISA using capsular polysaccharide directly coated to the wells as antigens and by dot blotting with heat-treated bacteria. Two groups of monoclonal antibodies were found. The first group included two monoclonal antibodies which were found to be capsular type specific. The second group was monoclonal antibodies that bound to epitopes shared by two or three pneumococcal group 9 types. The monoclonal antibody 204,A-4 (IgM) was found to be specific for S. pneumoniae type 9N. The binding of the type 9V specific monoclonal antibody 206,F-5 (IgG1) was found to be dependent upon O-acetyl groups. Monoclonal antibody 205,F-3 (IgM) reacted also with type 9V, but was found to cross-react with types 9A and 9L. The binding of this monoclonal antibody to polysaccharide 9V was not dependent upon O-acetyl moieties. The fourth monoclonal antibody (214,G-5, isotype IgM) did not show any correlation between reactivity with isolated polysaccharides and dot blotting with relevant bacteria. The monoclonal antibody reacted with polysaccharides 9A and 9L in ELISA, but not with the homologous bacteria.