An ester activation method was employed to couple enrofloxacin(ENFX) to the carrier proteins BSA and OVA. The conjugates ENFX-BSA and ENFX-OVA were identified with an UV spectrophotometer and amino acid automation analysis instrument, and resulted in conjugates with 48 ENFX molecules per carrier molecule(BSA). Splenocytes from mice immunized with ENFX-BSA were fused with SP2/0 myeloma cells and hybridomas secreting antibodies against enrofloxacin were selected and cloned. Two stable monoclonal antibodies, 2C5, 5D5 of the subclass IgG2a, were isolated. Using antibody 5D5, an indirect competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ci-ELISA) was developed for the quantitative detection of enrofloxacin and its metabolites. The IC50 of the standard curve was 21.67 ng mL-1 and the limit of detection for enrofloxacin was 0.13 ng mL-1. This method was sensitive and had a linear range from 0.13 to 10 000 ng mL-1 (r= -0.9782). Monoclonal antibody 5D5 exhibited high relative affinity to enrofloxacin, and the cross-reactivities with ciprofloxacin, marbofloxacin, sarafloxacin and danorfloxacin were 110.8, 27.40, 71.05 and 37.41%, respectively. Three non-fluoroquinolones of cefadroxil, chloramphenicol, sulfadimethoxine were tested and there was no cross-reaction between them.
