Monoclonal antibodies to cholera toxin with special reference to cross-reactions with Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin.

Seventy monoclonal antibodies to cholera toxin were prepared and characterized. All were of immunoglobulin G (IgG) isotypes (39 IgG1, 29 IgG2, and 2 IgG3). A total of 61 clones produced antibody directed against the B subunit, and 9 clones produced antibodies with specificity for the cholera toxin A subunit. Among both the anti-B and anti-A antibodies, there were representatives which showed full cross-reactivity with the heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli (14 clones), others which gave partial cross-reactions (12), and still others (44) which did not cross-react. Although 24 of 25 tested anti-B monoclonal antibodies could neutralize cholera toxin, none of the 9 anti-A clones had any detectable neutralizing ability. Among the anti-B antibodies, those which cross-reacted completely with E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin all had strong cholera toxin-neutralizing capacity, whereas those with lesser or no degree of cross-reactivity varied more in their neutralizing potency. The isolation of monoclonal antibodies that distinguish between enterotoxins of different bacterial origin suggests the possibility of developing immunodiagnostic methods allowing species-specific enterotoxin detection in stools of patients with diarrheal disease.