Protective effect of inactivated virus vaccine on Sendai virus infection in rats.

Rats which had received two doses of inactivated Sendai virus vaccine were resistant to intranasal virus challenge. Vaccination was equally effective when administered by intravenous, intraperitoneal, intramuscular, or subcutaneous routes but not the intranasal route. Rats vaccinated intraperitoneally with inactivated Sendai virus vaccine were protected from contact infection. Suckling rats born to vaccinated dams were resistant to challenge infection at 3 weeks of age, but the resistance was not demonstrated after weaning at 4 weeks of age.