title: Increased immunogenicity of inactivated influenza virus vaccine containing purified surface antigen compared with whole virus in elderly women.
abstract: Thirty-eight elderly female subjects (aged 80 +/- 7 years, mean +/- standard deviation) were randomized to immunization with trivalent inactivated influenza virus vaccine containing either purified surface antigen (n = 18) or whole virus (n = 20) components from A/Texas/36/91 (H1N1), A/Beijing/353/89 (H3N2), and B/Panama/45/90 strains. Humoral and cellular immune responses were assessed by measuring serum hemagglutination inhibition antibodies and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity at 0 and 3 weeks postvaccination. Serological responses to both of the type A vaccine strains following immunization with surface antigen vaccine (SAV) were significantly more frequent and greater in magnitude than those induced by whole-virus vaccine. Antibody responses to the B/Panama component were modest and did not differ significantly between the two vaccines. Persons given SAV, but not those given whole-virus vaccine, had a small but significant increase in mean percent specific lysis of influenza A (H1N1) virus-infected autologous targets by peripheral blood mononuclear cells which were stimulated in vitro with influenza A (H1N1) virus. The H1N1-stimulated cytotoxic effectors induced by SAV were CD8+ and were not cross-reactive against H3N2-infected targets. Influenza B virus-specific CTL responses were not observed with either vaccine. These results suggest that currently available subunit influenza virus vaccines may offer an advantage over inactivated whole-virus preparations for inducing humoral and cellular immune responses in the elderly, although the CTL response may be too limited to be of physiological significance.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D009981:Influenza B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins