The invention relates to murine monoclonal antibodies corresponding to monoclonal antibodies secreted by cell lines of hybridomas denominated 3G8/C11 and 7G4/A12, and which react against the antigen M of hMPV. Said antibodies do not compete with each other for the binding site for binding to the antigen, nor do they impede the simultaneous binding thereof to the antigen. Said monoclonal antibodies can be used for tests for the detection, diagnosis and/or determination of infection by hMPV.

Described are mutations to the fusion protein and related domains of Henipaviruses and their use in creating immunogens useful for vaccine compositions, and in prevention and treatment of Paramyxovirus and Henipavirus infections in a mammal. Also described are methods for screening viral fusion proteins for capability to transition from a pre-fusion to a post-fusion conformation.

Generation of monoclonal antibodies, or fragments thereof, that recognize the human parainfluenza virus (human PIV) chimeric protein L, where the monoclonal antibodies or fragments thereof have a heavy chain variable region and a light chain variable region. In addition, a method of diagnosing human PIV infection in a biological sample of nasopharyngeal secretion is provided, using the monoclonal antibodies in diagnostic kit format.

The present invention is based on the finding that in addition to interfering with or blocking, preventing and/or inhibiting the interaction between a pathogen and, for example, a sialic acid containing cell surface receptor, certain sialic acid binding molecules have immunomodulatory properties. The invention provides methods and uses which exploit sialic acid binding molecules in the treatment and/or prevention of disease by modulation and/or priming of the host immune response.

The present invention discloses specific human metapneumovirus monoclonal antibodies. The antibody is at least two-fold less reactive with non-human metapneumoviruses including, but not limited to, respiratory viruses or avian metapneumoviruses. Further, the antibody is at least two-fold more reactive with a human metapneumovirus (i.e., for example, Type A or Type B) than with non-human metapneumoviruses including, but not limited to, respiratory viruses or avian metapneumoviruses. Consequently, these novel antibodies are useful as a clinical diagnostic agent, especially when using fresh nasopharengeal aspirates. The invention also contemplates numerous diagnostic platforms that together with the novel antibodies can support economical, fast, and highly selective detection and identification of clinical inoculum samples.

A novel anti-Paramyxoviridae viral therapeutic strategy is described herein. The strategy targets the discovery that the receptor binding protein of the virus forms a complex with the fusion protein that maintains the fusion protein in its pre-fusion configuration. Accordingly, methods and uses of the fusion complex or fragments thereof related to drug screening, antibody generation, or inhibition of membrane fusion of a Paramyxoviridae virus to a target cell are disclosed.

The present disclosure is directed to antibodies binding to and neutralizing henipavirus and methods for use thereof. Thus, in accordance with the present disclosure, there is provided a method of detecting a henipavirus infection in a subject comprising (a) contacting a sample from said subject with an antibody or antibody fragment having clone-paired heavy and light chain CDR sequences from Tables 3 and 4, respectively; and (b) detecting henipavirus in said sample by binding of said antibody or antibody fragment to a henipavirus antigen in said sample.