Immunological studies on staphylococcal enterotoxin D: production of murine monoclonal antibodies and immunopurification

Eight murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against staphylococcal enterotoxin D (SED) were obtained by fusion of myeloma cells with mouse spleen cells immunized with SED only or a combination of SED and either enterotoxin A (SEA) or enterotoxin E (SEE). When only SED was used as an immunogen, six MAbs were specific for SED only, whereas one MAb was reactive with both SED and SEE when both SEs were used as immunogens. One MAb reacted with SEA, SED, and SEE when both SEA and SED were used as immunogens. A MAb with the highest reactivity to SED was used to prepare an immunosorbent for purification of SED by immunoaffinity chromatography. Approximately 70% of the partially purified SED was recovered in the eluate. The purified SED was electrophoretically and antigenically pure. Immunoaffinity chromatography proved useful in the purification of SED in terms of ease of purification, percent enterotoxin, and enterotoxin purity.