Prevention of murine rotavirus infection with chicken egg y o k immunoglobulins

Passive protection of infant mice against murine rotavirus was achieved with use of im-munoglobulins from the eggs of chickens. Immunoglobulins were obtained by vac-cinating hens with simian rotavirus, collecting the eggs after a high level of im-munoglobulins was reached in the hen's serum, and isolating the water-soluble fraction from these eggs. The water-soluble fraction was then given twice daily to three-day-old mice to protect them from infection with murine rotavirus. The protection was found to decrease the infection rate from 90070 to 15070 with use of a standard dose of virus. Rotavirus from calves, pigs, mice, foals [1], infant humans, lambs [2], and turkeys and chickens [3, 4] is antigenically related. In mammals, passive im-munity to rotavirus infection is acquired by the newborn animal from its dam through colostrum. This protection may be primarily in the form, of IgA antibodies as in humans or of IgG antibodies as in ruminants [5-7]. The egg yolk provides pas