title: Universal influenza vaccines, science fiction or soon reality?
abstract: Currently used influenza vaccines are only effective when the vaccine strains match the epidemic strains antigenically. To this end, seasonal influenza vaccines must be updated almost annually. Furthermore, seasonal influenza vaccines fail to afford protection against antigenically distinct pandemic influenza viruses. Because of an ever-present threat of the next influenza pandemic and the continuous emergence of drift variants of seasonal influenza A viruses, there is a need for an universal influenza vaccine that induces protective immunity against all influenza A viruses. Here, we summarize some of the efforts that are ongoing to develop universal influenza vaccines.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rory D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.affiliation: a Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Arwen F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Altenburg
authors.affiliation: a Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Guus F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Rimmelzwaan
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000940:Antigenic Variation / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D056738:Cross Protection / Q000276:immunology*; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology; D053122:Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / Q000276:immunology; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D058873:Pandemics / Q000517:prevention & control; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C488937:M2 protein, Influenza A virus; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
keywords: immunity; influenza; universal; vaccine; virus