Serum-mediated resistance induced with immunogenic preparations of Salmonella typhimurium.

Serum obtained from animals immunized with attenuated Salmonella typhimurium strain RIA, heat-killed bacterial suspensions, or immunogenic ribosomal preparations was capable of passively conferring protection on normal recipient mice to challenge infection with virulent S. typhimurium strain SR-11. Protection was measured by the ability of a recipient animal to reduce the total number of challenge organisms significantly below that found in challenged control mice. Intraperitoneal administration of 0.1 ml of pooled sera was more effective than 0.05 ml in transferring resistance. The transfer of equivalent amounts of immune serum subcutaneously did not result in demonstrable resistance. In all cases in which serum transfer was effective, resistance was maximal at 5 days, greatly diminished by 10 days, and gone by 15 days post-transfer. Pooled serum obtained from normal donor mice or 0.2 ml of serum from mice hyperimmunized with immunogenic ribonucleic acid preparations did not possess the capacity to confer demonstrable resistance on normal recipients.