anti-Lassa Virus GP1 mouse monoclonal, EBS-I-301, purified

Lassa virus is a member of the Arenaviridae and causes Lassa fever in predominantly West Afrika. The main reservoir is formed by local rodents. Up to half a million people are estimated to attract the disease yearly and mortality rates may reach as much as 50%. Viral proteins, coded within two ambisense RNA strands, include GP1, GP2, NP, polymerase and Z matrix protein. EBS-I-301 reacts with GP1, which is thought to bind to the host cell α-dystroglycan receptor. Reactivity of EBS-I-301 is confined to isolates from Sierra Leone, Guinea and part of Liberia. Nigerian and South African isolates are usually not identified by this antibody. The epitope is different from the epitope recognized by the GP1 antibody EBS-I-302. Posisitve control: Cells, serum or tissues infected with Lassa virus.