Production and Partial Characterization of Hybridoma Clones Secreting Monoclonal Antibodies Against Francisella tularensis

Hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies against Francisella tularensis cellular antigens were produced and characterized. These monoclonal antibodies reacted with F. tularensis in ELISA but not by immunoblot, indicating that the antibodies are directed against conformational epitopes. One of these monoclonal antibodies was directed against outer membrane protein (OMP) components, and the remainder are likely directed against capsular components. The OMP-specific monoclonal antibodies are F. tularensis-specific in contrast to the others which cross-react with a number of other bacterial species. These OMP-specific monoclonal antibodies are of the IgG1 subclass, and may prove to be a useful diagnostic tool for detection and identification of F. tularensis in clinical materials.