Rinderpest Immunity in Calves: I. The Acquisition and Persistence of Maternally Derived Antibody

Abstract

Rinderpest neutralizing antibody was found to be transferred from the immune dam to the calf via the colostrum. No antibodies were detected in the sera of calves before suckling. The colostrum of immune cows contained rinderpest antibodies to a higher titre than that of the serum; 30–48 hr. after the ingestion of such colostra, newborn calves possessed high antibody levels in their sera, levels greater than those of their dams' sera but less than those of the colostrum ingested.After the neonatal period the serum titres of calves declined linearly. The mean half-life of maternally derived rinderpest antibody in calves was 36.7 days and the extinction point 10.9 months.Two young calves, from susceptible dams, which each ingested daily for 5 weeks 1 gallon of milk containing rinderpest antibodies failed to show evidence of their absorption from the intestinal tract.