Antigenic comparisons of hog cholera virus isolates from Europe, America and Asia using monoclonal antibodies.

Nineteen monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) with specificity for hog cholera virus (HCV) were prepared. They were used in an immune binding (peroxidase linked) assay to determine the reaction patterns of HCV isolates from Europe, Brazil, USA, Japan and Malaysia, as well as laboratory reference strains of the virus. A further panel of 17 MAbs raised against bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) was included in the study, together with 5 MAbs raised against a non-HCV pestivirus of porcine origin. All the MAbs were also tested against representative strains of BVDV and border disease virus. Six MAbs were HCV-specific, reacting with all isolates of HCV and none of the ruminant viruses. Among the other HCV MAbs geographical variation in reaction patterns was observed. There was evidence of antigenic distinction between recent European isolates, and archive material originally isolated more than 10 years ago.