Plasmid for production of membrane protein, bacterium containing same, monoclonal antibody therefore, and method for the identification of haemophilus influenzae
A plasmid which contains a genetic code for an immunogenic portion which is conserved in many strains of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae and the bacterium containing this plasmid is disclosed. The immunogenic portion is preferably an epitope on an outer membrane protein of H. influenzae . A monoclonal antibody to the immunogenic portion and the hybridoma which will produce the monoclonal antibody is also included. The invention further includes a DNA probe constructed to correspond to the nucleic acids which code for the immunogenic portion. This probe may be labelled with a radioactive marker and may be used as a diagnostic tool to assay various clinical samples for the presence of H. influenzae .