Comparative testing of monoclonal antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites for ELISA development

Abstract

Ten monoclonal antibodies developed against Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites at four institutions were evaluated for use in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Four of the antibodies were eliminated because of their low sensitivity or requirement for high concentrations of capture antibody, while an additional four were rejected because they exhibited cross-reactivity with P. berghei sporozoites. Of the two remaining monoclonal antibodies, that designated 2A10 had the highest sensitivity, a requirement for lower concentrations of capture antibody, and had been tested successfully against sporozoites from a wider range of geographical areas than the others. Use of this monoclonal antibody in a standardized ELISA method gave a test ten times more sensitive than previously reported for P. falciparum sporozoites and its detection limit was less than 100 sporozoites per mosquito.