title: IgM and IgG antibody responses following immunization of children and adults with influenza A/NJ/76 vaccines.
abstract: The character of the immune response to inactivated monovalent influenza A/New Jersey/76 (A/NJ/76) and bivalent influenza A/New Jersey/76-A/Victoria/75 (A/NJ/76-A/Vic/75) vaccines was studied in children 6 months to 18 years of age. Hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody levels were measured in post-vaccination serums before and after 2-mercaptoethanol treatment. IgG antibody predominated in responses to the influenza A/Vic/75 component of bivalent vaccines. In contrast, specific IgM antibody against influenza A/NJ/76 developed after both monovalent and bivalent vaccines, and appears to characterize the immune response to this antigenic "shift" strain in children. Prevalences of IgM antibody against influenza A/NJ/76 did not differ significantly by age, implying that type rather than extent of previous influenza experience determines the IgM antibody response to an antigenic "shift". Slit-product vaccines produced significantly fewer IgM antibody responses to influenza A/NJ/76 than did whole-virus vaccines, a phenomenon which may correlate with their diminished reactogenicity and immunogenicity in children.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000917:Antibody Formation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D008623:Mercaptoethanol; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D008623:Mercaptoethanol