title: Cellular and humoral immune responses to pandemic influenza vaccine in healthy and in highly active antiretroviral therapy-treated HIV patients.
abstract: Influenza vaccination is recommended for HAART-treated HIV patients to prevent influenza illness and complications. Due to the known ability of T cells to mediate a broadly cross-reactive response, vaccination effectiveness in cell-mediated immune (CMI) response induction is a main objective in new influenza vaccination strategies. Nevertheless, data on CMI responses after pandemic vaccination in HIV subjects are still missing. In the present study, the ability of a single dose of adjuvanted pandemic influenza vaccine to induce humoral and CMI responses was compared in HAART-treated HIV patients and in healthcare workers. Healthcare workers (HCW, n=65) and HAART-treated HIV patients (HIV, n=67) receiving pandemic vaccination were enrolled and analyzed before (t0) and after (t1) vaccination. The analysis of strain-specific humoral response was performed by HAI assay; CMI against pandemic (A/H1N1/Cal/09) and seasonal (A/H1N1/Brisb/07 and A/H3N2/Brisb/07) strains was analyzed by ELISpot and intracellular staining followed by flow cytometry. Pandemic vaccination was effective in inducing both humoral and cell-mediated responses in HAART-treated HIV patients as well as in HCWs. A large fraction of both HCWs and HIV-infected patients showed a T cell response to the pandemic strain before vaccination, suggesting possible previous exposure to A/H1N1/pdm/09 and/or cross-reactive T cells. Notably, pandemic vaccine was also able to boost cross-reactive immune responses to seasonal strains. Finally, a weaker boost of both strain-specific and cross-reactive T cell immunity was found in individuals showing a higher baseline response. These data show the effectiveness of adjuvanted pandemic vaccine to induce both humoral and cellular (strain-specific and cross-reactive) immune responses in HIV patients similar to HCWs.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Infectious Diseases (INMI) Lazzaro Spallanzani, Rome, Italy. chiara.agrati@inmi.it
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agrati
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gioia
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castilletti
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lapa
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berno
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Puro
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carletti
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cimini
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nisii
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castellino
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Maria R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Capobianchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology*; D053122:Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / Q000276:immunology; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D016207:Cytokines; D007252:Influenza Vaccines