title: Influenza vaccination in the organ transplant recipient: review and summary recommendations.
abstract: Influenza virus causes a spectrum of illness in transplant recipients with a high rate of lower respiratory disease. Seasonal influenza vaccination is an important public health measure recommended for transplant recipients and their close contacts. Vaccine has been shown to be safe and generally well tolerated in both adult and pediatric transplant recipients. However, responses to vaccine are variable and are dependent on various factors including time from transplantation and specific immunosuppressive medication. Seasonal influenza vaccine has demonstrated safety and no conclusive evidence exists for a link between vaccination and allograft dysfunction. Annually updated trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines have been available and routinely used for several decades, although newer influenza vaccination formulations including high-dose vaccine, adjuvanted vaccine, quadrivalent inactivated vaccine and vaccine by intradermal delivery system are now available or will be available in the near future. Safety and immunogenicity data of these new formulations in transplant recipients requires investigation. In this document, we review the current state of knowledge on influenza vaccines in transplant recipients and make recommendations on the use of vaccine in both adult and pediatric organ transplant recipients.
authors.affiliation: Transplant Infectious Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. deepali.kumar@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Blumberg
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Danziger-Isakov
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Kotton
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Halasa
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ison
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Avery
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: U D
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Michaels
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D007252:Influenza Vaccines