[General properties and kinds of antibodies for enzyme immunoassay--characteristics and advantages of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies].

Abstract General properties and advantages between monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies are described with regard to their specificity, cross reaction, practical consideration, affinity and isotype. Although monoclonal antibodies are superior in specificity, they have less affinity than those in polyclonal antibodies. Since monoclonal antibodies usually react with a single epitope, they sometimes show a particular characteristic to an antigen. It should be emphasized that investigation of required properties is important to obtain the best combination of antibodies for immunoassay purposes.