RAPID DETECTION OF INFLUENZA VIRUSES

INFLUENZA VIRUSES ARE MAJOR AGENTS OF EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC DISEASE WITH RESULTANT DEATHS FROM PNEUMONIA. RAPID DETECTION OF TYPE A INFLUENZA PERMITS ADMINISTRATION OF AMANTADINE TO CONTACTS AND PREVENTS UNNECESSARY USE OF ANTIBIOTICS. BECAUSE TYPE A INFLUENZA MAY LEAD TO PNEUMONIA IN THE ELDERLY, THIS IS OF SPECIAL IMPORTANCE IN GERIATRIC FACILITIES. RAPID VIRAL DETECTION SYSTEMS FOR INFLUENZA VIRUSES (TYPES AAND B) WILL BE DEVELOPED BASED ON PRODUCTION OF HIGHLY AVID MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO THE MAJOR INTERNAL ANTIGENS OF THESE VIRUSES, INCLUDING NUCLEOPROTEIN AND M-PROTEIN (M1). MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES WILL ALSO BE PRODUCED AGAINST NSI OR NONSTRUCTURAL PROTEIN FOUND IN INFLUENZA-VIRUS-INFECTED CELLS. THESE ANTIGENS SHOW LITTLE VARIATION AMONG TYPE A INFLUENZA VIRUSES AND THEREFORE PROVIDE STABLE REAGENTS THATARE IMMUNE TO ANTIGENIC SHIFT AND DRIFT. THE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES WILL BE USED IN ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAYS (ELISA'S) AND OTHER ANTIBODY-BASED SYSTEMS. VIRO DYNAMICS' CURRENT PANEL OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO M-PROTEIN OF TYPE A INFLUENZA VIRUSES PERMITS DIRECT DETECTION OF INFLUENZA (H1N1 AND H3N2) IN NASOPHARYNGEAL SPECIMENS; INCREASED SENSITIVITY WILL PERMIT DETECTION OF INFLUENZA IN SPECIMENS CONTAINING LOWER LEVELS OF ANTIGEN. THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF SIMPLE, COLORIMETRIC ELISA DETECTION SYSTEMS FOR INFLUENZA. THE PHASE I GOAL IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO THE MAJOR INTERNAL ANTIGENS OF TYPE B INFLUENZA VIRUSES.