ABSTRACT
Application of polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) was ‰rst developed in the early part of the last century. These early reagents were largely used in spite of increased cross reactivity. However, in diagnostic applications, pAb can cross recognize multiple serological strains of a pathogen through conserved surface epitopes. However, the pAb is unable to distinguish between closely related strains [1]. pAb is composed of other host-related antibodies leading to high background in immunohistology and immunoassays. The unwanted reactivity of contaminants in antigen preparation can also pose a problem in generating high-quality pAb. Re‰ning strategies for high-quality pAbs could include af‰nity chromatography with appropriate antigens. Polyclonal antibodies are still in use for histology, af‰nity supports, and some therapeutic applications.
