Development of immunity to porcine rotavirus in piglets protected from disease by bovine colostrum.
Bovine colostrum with rotavirus-neutralizing activity was fed for 10 days to two groups of piglets, one of which was inoculated intranasally with a rotavirus of porcine origin. A third group, which did not receive colostrum, was also inoculated with the virus, and these piglets developed diarrhea, excreted rotavirus in the feces, and died 6 days after infection. In contrast, the infected piglets fed with bovine colostrum remained healthy, although they developed antibody to rotavirus. Twenty-seven days after the primary inoculation, piglets in the colostrum-fed groups were inoculated intranasally with virus. Those in the previously unexposed group became clinically ill and excreted rotavirus, whereas those which had experienced a previous subclinical infection (the colostrum-fed, virus-inoculated group) remained healthy. It was concluded that bovine colostrum protected piglets from the clinical effects of a porcine rotavirus and that these animals developed an immunity which prevented subsequent disease.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000276:immunology*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002417:Cattle; D003126:Colostrum / Q000276:immunology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D007109:Immunity; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D012087:Reoviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D012088:Reoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral