Abstract
Despite the use of broad spectrum antimicrobial agents, GBS sepsis remains a fulminant, often fatal disease. Using the technique of somatic cell hybridization, we have developed hybridomas which secrete monoclonal antibodies that react with each of the 5 serotypes of GBS. The purpose of this investigation was: 1) to determine whether type-specific monoclonal antibody conferred protection against fatal GBS infection in mice, and 2) to study the functional properties of the antibodies (agglutination, complement fixation). BALB/c mice were given a subscapular injection of 5 × 106 hybridoma cells that produced antibody with one of the following specificities: anti-GBS IA/IC, IB, or II. (Type III GBS does not infect adult BALB/c mice). After 14 days, tumor mice and an equal number of controls were challenged with an I.P. injection of 109 live GBS of identical specificity to the tumor. 100% of mice with tumors survived; controls were dead within 24 hours. Surviving tumor mice had anti-GBS titers of > 1/10,000 against the respective bacterial serotypes. Each monoclonal antibody fixed complement and agglutinated bacteria of the same specificity. GBS monoclonal antibodies protect mice against fatal infection in vivo, fix complement and agglutinate GBS in vitro and may have potential use in the therapy of life-threatening disease in infants.
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Harris, M., Bailey, J., Wright, L. et al. 1024 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES PROTECT AGAINST FATAL GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL (GBS) INFECTION IN MICE. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 613 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-01050
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-01050