PROTECTION AGAINST HANTAVIRUS INFECTION BY DAMS IMMUNITY TRANSFERRED VERTICALLY TO NEONATES

Antibodies to hantavirus, Seoul type B-1 strain. vertically transferre d to rat neonates prevented lethal as well as persistent infection. Wh en relatively high titer viruses were inoculated into neonates, the mo ther's antibodies protected all the neonates from lethal virus infecti on. However, the antibodies could not protect all of the neonates from persistent infection but only half of them underwent persistent infec tion. The other half was completely cured but also became persistently infected when rechallenged with the active viruses after reaching mat urity.