Hemorrhagic feline calicivirus, calicivirus and method for preventing calicivirus infection or disease

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel, isolated and purified hemorrhagic feline calicivirus FCV-DD1. The invention further embraces monovalent and multivalent vaccines containing the new FCV-DD1 strain. In addition, the invention encompasses methods of protecting felines against infection or preventing disease caused by feline calicivirus or in addition to other pathogens that comprises administering to the felines an immunologically effective amount of the monovalent and multivalent vaccines described herein. Also, the invention concerns methods for diagnosing or detecting the hemorrhagic feline calicivirus in a susceptible host, asymptomatic carrier and the like by detecting the presence of feline calicivirus FCV-DD1 or antibodies raised or produced against feline calicivirus FCV-DD1 antigen.

1 - 40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . An isolated antibody that specifically binds to the hemorrhagic feline calicivirus FCV-DD1, said virus having ATCC Patent Deposit Designation PTA-6204, and does not bind to non-hemorrhagic feline calicivirus strains, wherein said antibody specifically binds to a fragment of the major capsid protein unique to said FCV-DD1. 
     
     
         42 . An antibody of  claim 41 , wherein said antibody is a monoclonal antibody. 
     
     
         43 . A method of stimulating the formation of an antibody of  claim 41  in an animal capable of making antibodies, comprising administering to said animal an immunologically effective amount of a hemorrhagic feline calicivirus FCV-DD1, ATCC Patent Deposit Designation PTA-6204, or an antigenic subunit thereof. 
     
     
         44 . A method of  claim 45 , wherein said animal is a feline. 
     
     
         45 . A method of  claim 46 , wherein said animal is a cat. 
     
     
         46 . A method of  claim 45 , wherein an attenuated form of hemorrhagic feline calicivirus FCV-DD1 is administered. 
     
     
         47 . A method of  claim 48 , wherein said animal is a feline. 
     
     
         48 . A method of  claim 49 , wherein said animal is a cat. 
     
     
         49 . A method of determining whether a susceptible host is a carrier of hemorrhagic feline calicivirus, comprising:
 (a) contacting the biological sample from said susceptible host with an antibody of  claim 41  under conditions effective to induce the formation of an antibody-antigen complex between an antigen specific to said hemorrhagic feline calicivirus in said sample and said antibody; and   (b) detecting the presence or absence of the antibody-antigen complex, wherein the presence of the antibody-antigen complex indicates that the host is a carrier of hemorrhagic feline calicivirus.   
     
     
         50 . A method of  claim 51 , wherein said host is a feline. 
     
     
         51 . A method of  claim 52 , wherein said feline is a cat. 
     
     
         52 . A method of detecting or diagnosing a hemorrhagic feline calicivirus infection in a susceptible host, which comprises analyzing a biological sample from the host and detecting the presence of an antibody of  claim 41  in the biological specimen. 
     
     
         53 . A method of detecting an antibody of  claim 41  in a biological sample, comprising
 (a) contacting the biological sample with an antigen comprising an antigenic determinant specific to feline hemorrhagic calicivirus FCV-DD1, deposited as ATCC PTA-6204, under conditions effective to induce the formation of an antibody-antigen complex between an antibody in said sample that specifically binds to said hemorrhagic feline calicivirus and said antigen; and 
 (b) detecting the presence or absence of the antibody-antigen complex, wherein the presence of the antibody-antigen complex indicates that the sample contains said antibody. 
 
     
     
         54 . A method of  claim 55 , wherein the antigen is an antigenic subunit of FCV-DD1, deposited as ATCC PTA-6204. 
     
     
         55 . A method of  claim 55 , wherein the antibody-antigen complex is detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 
     
     
         56 . A method of  claim 55 , wherein the antibody-antigen complex is detected by Western blot. 
     
     
         57 . A method of  claim 55 , wherein the antigen-antibody immune complex is detected by flow cytometry. 
     
     
         58 . A method of  claim 55 , wherein the antibody-antigen immune complex is detected by immunofluorescent assay (IFA). 
     
     
         59 . An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting an antibody of  claim 41 , which comprises a solid support coated with an antigenic determinant specific to feline calicivirus FCV-DD1, deposited as ATCC PTA-6204, and a detectable substrate that indicates when the antibody binds to the antigen.