Effect of breast feeding on the development of anti-idiotype antibody response to F glycoprotein of respiratory syncytial virus in infant mice after post-partum maternal immunization.

Groups of lactating BALB/c mice were immunized in the immediate postpartum period with high doses of mAb (Ab-1) to the F-glycoprotein (F-gp) of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This antibody possessed neutralizing activity against the whole virus. The immune response to F-gp was studied in the breast feeding infant mice of such mothers at regular intervals before and after weaning. All infant mice exhibited anti-F-gp activity in serum, which was detected until 6 wk of age. Splenic cells of such breast feeding infant mice collected after weaning exhibited in vitro synthesis of antibody against Ab-1, the antibody previously used for maternal immunization. Subsequent immunization with homologous purified RSV F-gp resulted in a booster response for IgG, IgM, and plaque-neutralizing antibody to the immunizing RSV protein and to the whole virus in the infants primed via breast feeding. The enhanced antibody response was specific for the antigenic epitopes of the virus protein recognized by the monoclonal antibody used for maternal immunization. Similar booster effect was seen in control infants of nonimmunized mothers who were immunized with a polyclonal Ab-2 prepared by repeated immunization with Ab-1 in DBA/2 mice. These data demonstrate induction of RSV-specific anti-idiotype antibody in the neonates via the process of breast feeding, secondary to maternal immunization after the delivery of the neonate. Use of idiotypic vaccines in the mother and the transfer of RSV-specific idiotypes may offer an alternate approach to the development of effective immunoprophylaxis for RSV infection in early infancy.