MATERNAL TRANSFER OF ISOANTIBODY IN MICE1,2

Hemagglutinating and enhancing isoantibodies are transmitted from mother to fetus and suckling. The antibodies are absorbed from the gut of the young mouse up to at least 15 days of age. There is not a onetoone correlation between the presence or absence of hemagglutinins and enhancing antibody. Possible reasons for this lack of correlation and for the absence of isohemolytic and “homologous” diseases in young mice exposed to maternally derived antibodies are discussed.