The efficacy of live attenuated cold-adapted (ca) reassortant influenza virus vaccine against experimental challenge with homologous wild-type virus 5 to 8 weeks after vaccination was compared with that of licensed inactivated vaccine in 81 seronegative (haemagglutination-inhibition antibody titre less than or equal to 1:8) college students. At a dose of 10(7.5) 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) (70 HID50, human 50% infectious doses) the live virus vaccine, given intranasally, completely protected against illness caused by wild-type virus, whereas the inactivated vaccine, administered intramuscularly, provided 72% protection. Wild-type virus was recovered from only 13% of live virus vaccinees (10(7.5) TCID50 dose of ca virus) compared with 63% of inactivated virus vaccinees and the few infected live virus vaccinees shed 1000 times less wild-type virus than did infected inactivated virus vaccinees or unvaccinated controls. This striking reduction in virus shedding suggests that influenza transmission may be more efficiently interrupted with live than with inactivated virus vaccination.