Abstract
We produced a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) from the fusion of Taura syndrome virus variants from Belize (TSV‐BZ) immunized BALB/cJ mouse spleen cells and non‐immunoglobulin secreting SP2/0 mouse myeloma cells. One antibody, 2C4, showed strong specificity and sensitivity for TSV in dot‐blot immunoassay and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis. The MAb reacted against native TSV‐BZ, TSV variants from Sinaloa, Mexico (TSV‐SI) and TSV variants from Hawaii (TSV‐HI) in dot‐blot immunoassay. By IHC, the antibody identified the virus in a pattern similar to the digoxigenin‐labelled TSV‐cDNA probe for the TSV‐BZ, TSV‐HI and TSV‐SI variants, but not for the TSV variants from Venezuela (TSV‐VE) and the TSV variants from Thailand (TSV‐TH). MAb 2C4 did not react against other shrimp pathogens or with normal shrimp tissue. Western blot analysis showed a strong reaction against CP2, a region of high antigenic variability amongst TSV variants. This antibody has potential diagnostic application in detection and differentiation of certain TSV biotypes.