Characteristics of passive immunity against hantavirus infection in rats

The protective effects of passively administered antibodies against hantavirus infection were studied in newborn rats. Death as well as infection were completely prevented from intraperitoneal challenge of strain SR-11 (SR) (2 x 10(3) FFU, 10(2.1) LD50), in newborn rats which received 0.1 ml of anti-SR rat serum (neutralizing antibody titer, 1:640) 4 hr before the virus challenge. In these rats, no virus was detected in the peritoneal macrophages, lung, kidney, and brain. The immune serum infusion before the virus challenge also conferred protection to rats against an intramuscular or subcutaneous challenge of strain SR, but did not protect the rats against intracerebral challenge of the virus. In the rats which received the immune serum after the challenge, infection was not prevented, although some of the animals were protected from the death. Virus titers in the lung, kidney, and brain of the rats were reduced by the transfer of the immune serum even as late as 72 hr after the challenge. Cross-protection in the rats which received the immune serum was strong between strains SR and KI-262 within the same serotype, but very weak between strains SR and Hantaan 76-118 of different serotypes.