Role of upper respiratory tract infection in the deaths occurring in neonatal ferrets infected with influenza virus

Passive immunization of ferret neonates by colostrally-derived anti-influenza virus IgG did not entirely prevent infection when mothers were immunized with 1 or 2 doses of formalin inactivated vaccine with adjuvant (alhydrogel). Influenza virus replication was almost completely prevented in the lower respiratory tract but only slightly reduced in the upper respiratory tract leading to deaths in about 50% of the neonates. Such neonates showed at most only minor lesions in the lower respiratory tract but moderate to severe inflammatory changes in the upper respiratory tract of most animals. This supports previous results suggesting that deaths, reminiscent of the human sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), may arise purely as a result of upper respiratory tract infection, possibly following obstruction of the airways.