VACCINATION OF PREGNANT MACAQUES PROTECTS NEWBORNS AGAINST MUCOSAL SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-INFECTION

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of newborn rhesus macaqu es is a rapid, sensitive animal model of human pediatric AIDS. Newborn macaques were readily infected by uncloned SIVmac following oral-conj unctival exposure and had persistently high viremia and rapid developm ent of AIDS. In contrast, when 3 pregnant macaques were vaccinated aga inst SIV, 2 of the newborns that had transplacentally acquired antivir al antibodies were protected against mucosal SIV infection at birth. T hese results suggest that intervention strategies such as active immun ization of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected pregnant women and anti-HIV immunoglobulin administration may decrease the rate of pe rinatal HIV infection.