Antibodies to S. mutans and uses thereof

The invention describes three monoclonal IgG antibodies, referred to as SWLA1, SWLA2, and SWLA3, which appear to recognize a species-specific lipooligosaccharide or lipopolysaccharide on the cell surface of S. mutans. The invention also describes a rapid method of detection of S. mutans without the need for prior growth of the bacteria in culture. The invention further describes a methods of utilizing these antibodies for rapidly quantitatively detecting S. mutans. These methods are sensitive enough to detect the presence of a single S. mutans bacterial cell. These methods can be widely used in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of dental caries in humans.