Monoclonal antibody against Saint Louis encephalitis prM viral protein.

Saint Louis encephalitis virus belongs to Flavivirus genus; Flaviviridae family jointly with other medically important flaviviruses including dengue virus and West Nile virus. The biological properties and functions of prM flavivirus protein are under investigation due to its importance in the generation of infectious virion and host interactions. Monoclonal antibodies have become powerful tools in this approach. Also the use of monoclonal antibodies has been successfully applied for antigenic analysis, clinical diagnosis and treatments. Here, using an immunofluorescence assay we describe a monoclonal antibody (mAb 3D2) that uniquely recognizes native prM Saint Louis encephalitis virus protein expressed in either C6/36-HT or Vero cells. In conclusion, mAb3D2 has significant potential for use in (a) the diagnosis of infections caused by this virus and (b) therapeutic use to treat patients infected by this virus and fundamental research to understand the role of the prM in the Saint Louis encephalitis virus infectious process.