title: B-cell or T-cell immunity?
abstract: The influenza virus behaves unpredictably and can cause devastating pandemics. Nearly 50 years after its first isolation it is probably the most infectious agent known that we cannot yet control. Why? The answer lies in the virus's unique capacity to alter antigenically and in the inability of the host's immune system to respond satisfactorily to the vaccines currently available. What follows is a record, prepared exclusively for Immunology Today, of a conference held in Oxford on March 21-24 this year, to discuss problems relating to protection against influenza.
authors.affiliation: A. J. McMichael is in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, U.K.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McMichael
authors.affiliation: B. A. Askonas is in the Immunology Division, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, U.K.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Askonas
authors.affiliation: R. G. Webster is in the St Judes Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.affiliation: W. G. Laver is in the Department of Microbiology, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra City, Australia.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Laver