Preparation and characterization of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies with different reactivity patterns to human rotaviruses.

By employing three strains of cultivable human rotaviruses with different serotype specificity as immunizing antigens, we prepared 11 hybridomas which secreted neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against human rotaviruses. In neutralization tests with four strains of serotype 1, and three each of serotypes 2 and 3, the monoclonal antibodies showed different reactivity patterns: seven monoclonal antibodies reacted specifically with all strains of either serotype 1, 2 or 3 human rotavirus, but two showed strain-specific reactions; the remaining two were commonly reactive to various human rotavirus strains from each serotype but not to two non-human rotaviruses. By immunoprecipitation analysis, it was found that four serotype 2-specific and two commonly reactive antibodies were directed to VP3 (82000 mol. wt. protein) on the outer shell of the virus particles.