Species differentiation of mycoplasmas by EF-Tu specific monoclonal antibodies.

Ten mouse hybridoma cell lines producing IgG monoclonal antibodies to mycoplasmal elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) were established. These mAbs showed different degrees of cross-reactivity between mollicutes and even other bacteria. This finding, indicating protein structure diversities of pan bacterial EF-Tu should permit species differentiation of mycoplasmas by epitope pattern analysis of a single protein. Epitope patterns of 23 mollicute type strains and of 40 M. hominis isolates were determined by ELISA. All M. hominis patterns were found to be closely related whereas intrageneric patterns differed in a species specific manner.