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Monoclonal Antibodies against Bacteria, Volume I explores the generation, characterization, and utilization of monoclonal antibodies against bacteria and on other monoclonal products relevant to antibacterial immune responses. Organized into 12 chapters, this book begins with a discussion on monoclonal antibodies against bacteria, encompassing its scope, research, and directions. It shows that the coordinated use of antisera and panels of monoclonal antibodies is proving useful for classification as a diagnostic tool with prognostic implications in the case of pathogens, or as a preliminary step in taxonomy. Also, monoclonal antibodies hold great potential as instruments in working with bacteria for industrial or biotechnological purposes, including genetic engineering. This book also elucidates the use of monoclonal antibodies of predefined molecular specificity for tracing molecular''signatures''left by a given strain in other microorganisms, subcellular structures, and materials from ecologic niches. The possibility of antibacterial and antitoxin therapies with monoclonal antibodies is also addressed. This treatise will be a valuable reference work to anyone working with monoclonal antibodies or getting ready to prepare them against the strain(s) (or bacterial structures) of his/her interest.

Designing Antibodies provides a compilation of research in the design of antibodies. It describes the techniques used in antibody design, the kinds of antibodies generated through modern techniques, and their applications in medicine and science. The book begins with an overview of the humoral immune system and of antibody structure, function, and biosynthesis, which sets the stage for the subsequent discussions of developments in antibody technology. The remaining chapters discuss the making of monoclonal antibodies; the design of antibodies for human therapy; the connection of antibodies (either chemically or genetically) to other potentially therapeutic effector molecules such as toxins, enzymes, or even an antibody of another specificity; idiotypes and anti-idiotypic antibodies; and the ability of antibodies to functionally mimic enzymes and mediate catalysis. It is hoped that, in addition to illustrating the progress of research in antibody design, the various creative and innovative approaches reviewed in this book will be modified or will stimulate new ideas that will spur the research and application of designer antibodies.

Monoclonal Antibodies Against Bacteria, Volume III covers the basis for understanding developments of practical importance in the health sciences within the area of microbiology and infectious diseases, focusing on advances made possible by monoclonal antibodies. This 12-chapter volume specifically considers the basic principles of hybridoma technology. The introductory chapters deal with treponemal antigens of significance for understanding syphilis, yaws, pinta, salmonellosis, and other gastroenteropathies. The subsequent chapters highlight pediatric infections and the strategies for molecular analyses of bacterial antigens, focusing on cell walls, S layers, and sheaths. The remaining chapters examine the bacterial toxins involved in gaseous gangrene and other forms of cell damage, such as diphtheria, caries and periodontal diseases, and bacteria relevant to animal sciences. This book will prove useful to internists, pediatricians, surgeons, dentists, veterinarians, clinical pathologists, and laboratory technologists.

Monoclonal Antibodies Against Bacteria, Volume II provides the basis for understanding new developments of practical importance in the health sciences within the area of microbiology and infectious diseases, focusing on advances made possible by monoclonal antibodies. This 12-chapter volume starts with the analysis of streptococcal antigens implicated in the causation of rheumatic fever and heart disease to find ways of inducing protective immunity. The next chapters deal with the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins in foods and treatment of staphylococcal food poisoning, the classification of meningococcal isolates associated with meningitis and related disorders, and the immunology of brucellosis with emphasis on the problem of distinguishing antibrucella antibodies elicited by vaccination of cattle from antibodies elicited by infection. These topics are followed by discussions of the diagnostic and epidemiologic studies of legionellosis; the identification of antigens in gram-negative bacteria; and the development of means to study and control infections by Pseudomonas in cystic fibrosis and other pathologic conditions. Other chapters explore the analysis of toxigenicity and neutralization of botulinum toxin, the pathogenetic role of Escherichia coli's pili, and study of its antigens to understand regulatory networks of the immune system involving antiidiotypic antibodies. The remaining chapters consider the elucidation of antigenic mosaics of archaebacteria and identification of their molecular signatures in their ecological niches and other life forms. These chapters also look into the combination of bacterial genetics with hybridoma technology for elucidating structure-function relationships in membrane molecules, as well as the strategies, methods, quality control, and other practical aspects connected with industrial production of monoclonal antibodies against bacteria. This book will prove useful to internists, pediatricians, surgeons, dentists, veterinarians, clinical pathologists, and laboratory technologists.