Production of monoclonal antibodies by hybridomas sensitized to sporozoites of Plasmodium berghei.

Hybridoma cell lines, which secreted antibodies directed against either the surface of Plasmodium berghei sporozoites or mosquito debris, were produced by fusion of spleen cells of P. berghei sporozoite-immunized mice with P3-X63-Ag8 myeloma cells. Four cloned antibody-secreting cell lines were successfully established. Two of these clones (F9 and G10) were obtained from the fusion of spleen cells from mice that had undergone two immunizations. These clones produced an IgM antibody that did not produce a CSP response on the sporozoite and did not neutralize the infectivity of the sporozoite in mice. One clone (B6), produced by the fusion of spleen cells from mice that had been given three immunizations, secreted an IgG antibody that did produce a CSP response on the sporozoite and neutralized the infectivity of the parasite. A fourth clone (D5) directed against mosquito debris was also found to produce an IgG antibody, but did not show a CSP reaction or neutralization of the sporozoite infectivity.