Plasma cell and serum antibody responses to influenza vaccine in preterm and full-term infants

Vaccine. 2017 Sep 12;35(38):5163-5171. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.07.115. Epub 2017 Aug 12.

Abstract

Background: Preterm (PT) infants are at greater risk for severe influenza infection and experience decrements in long-term antibody responses to vaccines. This may related to defects in antibody secreting cell (ASC) generation.

Objective: To investigate the relationships among the frequencies of influenza-specific antibody secreting cells, ASC numbers and subsets, and antibody responses to influenza vaccines (IV) among PT and full-term (FT) infants.

Design/methods: We enrolled 11 former PT (≤32weeks' gestation, ≤1500 g' birth weight) and 11FT infants, 6-17months of age, receiving their first influenza immunizations. Infants received two doses of inactivated trivalent (T)IV or quadrivalent (Q)IV during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 influenza seasons, respectively, at 0 and 28days, and blood was drawn at 0, 10, 35, and 56days and 9months. Vaccine-specific antibody was measured by hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) at 0 and 56days and 9months, vaccine-specific ASC numbers by enzyme linked immunospot (ELISPOT) at 10 and 35days, and ASC subsets by flow cytometry at 0, 10 and 35days.

Results: PT infants had post-vaccine HAI titers to all 4 vaccine strains at least equal to FT infants at 56days and 9months after beginning immunization. Influenza-specific ASC ELISPOT responses at 35days were higher among PT than FT infants (median 100 v. 30 per 106 PBMC, p=0.04). ASC numbers at 35days were positively correlated with serum HAI titers at 56days (ρ=0.50-0.80). There were no statistical differences between PT and FT infants in the frequency of five ASC subsets and no specific ASC subset correlated with durability of serum antibody titers.

Conclusions: Influenza-specific ASC numbers in both FT and PT infants correlated with peak antibody titers, but ASC subsets did not correlate with durability of antibody response.

Keywords: Antibody titer; Antibody-secreting cell; Influenza vaccine; Plasma cell; Premature infant.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Antibody Formation / physiology*
  • Antibody-Producing Cells / metabolism
  • Child
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Influenza Vaccines / adverse effects
  • Influenza Vaccines / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Premature Birth
  • Prospective Studies

Substances

  • Influenza Vaccines