Role of maternal immunity in the protection of newborn ferrets against infection with a virulent influenza virus.
Intranasal infection of newborn ferrets with a virulent strain of influenza virus invariably resulted in their deaths following virus replication to high titre in both lung and nasal turbinates (Collie et al., 1980). However, a similar challenge of newborn ferrets born to mothers immunized by infection with virulent or attenuated viruses resulted in complete protection; no virus replicated in their lungs and little or no virus was isolated from their nasal turbinates. Protection appeared to be antibody-mediated since it was sub-type-specific and milk-derived since newborn ferrets born to non-immune mothers but fostered onto immune mothers exhibited a similar level of protection to neonates born to and suckled by immune mothers.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005289:Ferrets; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007114:Immunization; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007774:Lactation; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014420:Turbinates / Q000382:microbiology