Immunoprophylaxis of respiratory syncytial virus infection in the infant ferret.

Infant ferrets can be protected from respiratory syncytical virus challenge at 3 days of age by gestational infection of their mothers. Ferrets acquire their immunity to respiratory syncytial virus postpartum via immunizing products of lactation. The level of protection against viral replication correlates with the maternal serum neutralizing titer or a concomitant factor. Passive administration of adult ferret serum with a neutralizing titer of 1:1024 or greater, either i.p. or orally does not confer immunity. A nonantibody-mediated protective mechanism appears to play an important role in protecting the infant ferret from respiratory syncytial virus replication. Our findings allow the testing of the efficacy of future human vaccines before human clinical trial.