Technology Description:

ARS scientists have developed a method for producing monoclonal antibodies that bind to multiple antigens of the outer membranes of Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and Campylobacter coli (C. coli). This invention produces monoclonal antibodies that are highly specific to C. jejuni only, and to specific isolates of C. jejuni, or C. coli outer membranes. Few monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies exist currently for detecting or capturing C. jejuni specifically. These monoclonal antibodies can be used to develop better enrichment, isolation and detection methods for C. jejuni to determine more about C. jejuni interactions with foods important to agriculture, and as probes to study C. jejuni biology. Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterial food pathogen, which sticks to chicken skin, is the most common source of diarrheal illness in the United States, with approximately 10,000 cases reported yearly to the Center for Disease Control. Monoclonal antibodies that identify individual species of food-borne pathogens and/or specific virulence factors are important for developing better pathogen detection, identification and isolation methods.

Foreign rights are available.

Reference:

Please refer to USPN 6,551,599, "Monoclonal Antibodies Against Campylobacter Jejuni and Campylobacter Coli Outer Membrane Antigens," which issued on April 22, 2003, and is a division of USPN 6,395,879, which issued on May 28, 2002.

Inventors:

Robert E. Mandrell Food Safety and Health Research Albany, CA 94710 (510) 559-5829 / Fax: (510) 559-6162 mandrell@pw.usda.gov	David L. Brandon (Same as first inventor) (510) 559-5783 / Fax: (510) 559-5777
Anna Bates (Same as first inventor) (510) 559-5610