A new microassay which utilizes radioiodinated staphylococcal protein A (SpA) to detect antibodies bound to cell surface antigens (CSA) was developed for monolayers of viable cultured tumor cells. Optimal detection of bound antibodies occurred at 37 degrees C with incubation periods of one hour each for antiserum and 131I-SpA. Labelling target cells with 125I-iododeoxyuridine facilitated expression of results relative to tumor cell number or protein concentration. Quantitation of antibody depended on CSA (tumor cells) and 131I-SpA being in excess of antibody; under these conditions, 0.25 ng of cell surface bound antibody could be detected readily. Initial studies utilized cultured human neurobodies in human serum which bound to CSA were removed by absorption with glutaraldehyde-insolubilized fetal calf serum (FCS) suggesting that FCS or FCS-like determinants can be CSA. Rabbit antisera, after extensive absorption, bound to cultured neuroblastoma and lung adenocarcinoma cells in a cell type specific pattern. These experiments demonstrated the value of this assay in quantitating anti-CSA antibodies and in serological analysis of tumor CSA.