A comparative analysis of the efficiency of bird and mammalian antibodies in HBsAg sandwich assay

Abstract

The antigen-binding capacities of chicken and goat polyclonal antibodies and mouse monoclonal antibodies specific for the hepatitis B virus surface antigen were compared via enzyme immunoassay. It was shown that the use of both adsorbed and detecting chicken antibodies reduces significantly the analytical sensitivity of the sandwich method for the detection of this antigen. It was assumed that the reduced flexibility of IgY molecules hinders bivalent binding to antigen, which leads to the formation of more stable immune complexes.