A sensitive method for detection of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against the adenovirus hexon.

: Chromic chloride and tannic acid methods were elaborated to bind purified adenovirus hexons to sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Either method gave very sensitive haemagglutination (HA) with adenovirus antisera, but treatment with tannic acid was more sensitive. Using this method, specific antibodies present in polyclonal immune sera against adenoviruses and adenovirus hexons, and the reactivity of monoclonal antibodies directed against adenovirus hexon type 1 were tested to 11 adenovirus types. With certain types, the high haemagglutination titres exceeded those obtained with ELISA, while with other types they remained slightly below the ELISA titres. The elaborated passive HA method with tannic acid is easily accomplished and may serve as an effective and useful tool in the study of both polyclonal and monoclonal antihexon antibodies.