Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis: passive transfer of resistance during lactation.

Pregnant rats challenged with encephalitogenic antigen in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) during pregnancy, transferred a resistance to induction of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in encephalitogenic challenged offspring. The resistance to induction of EAE was transferred during the whole lactation period, until weaning, and not during pregnancy. Through the milk, anti-myelin basic protein antibodies were transferred to the newborn animals. The degree of protection against EAE decayed with age and was not influenced by EAE occurrence in the mothers. In addition, the course of EAE in the rats was not affected by pregnancy. We believe that such transfer of resistance and antibodies may serve as a model for the study of milk-transmitted maternal immunocompetent factors, as well as a model for the mechanisms involved in the resistance of EAE.