Antibiotics are failing to meet the increase in emergence of antibiotic resistant organisms, and alternative strategies are desperately being sought. Passive administration of both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies can protect susceptible individuals from infectious diseases. Although several polyclonal antibody preparations are currently available for infectious diseases, only one monoclonal antibody for prevention of infectious diseases is on the market. There are, however, numerous antibodies, both monoclonal and polyclonal, in clinical trials for prevention of viral, bacterial and fungal infections.
