Maternal and newborn immunization with a human immunodeficiency virus-1 immunogen in a rodent model.

We examined immunization with an inactivated, gp120-depleted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antigen in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), also containing a sequence of immunostimulatory (ISS) DNA, during the last trimester of pregnancy and neonatally in a rat model. Pregnant rats were immunized in the third trimester and their litters were immunized during the newborn period. In addition, litters of rats from non-immunized mothers were immunized during the neonatal period.