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Am J Epidemiol. 2018 Aug 28. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwy192. [Epub ahead of print]
Investigating the Legacy of 1918 Pandemic on Age-Related Sero-Epidemiology and Immune Responses to Subsequent Influenza A(H1N1) Viruses Through a Structural Equation Model.
Chuah CXP1, Lim RL1, Chen MIC1,2.
Author information
Abstract
Influenza A(H1N1) strains were responsible for two pandemics in the last century. As infections early in life may have long-lasting influence on future immune response against other influenza strains, we drew on previously collected sero-incidence data (n = 2554) to investigate if the 1918 pandemic virus and its early descendants produced an age-related signature in immune responses against the A/California/7/2009(H1N1)pdm09 virus of 2009. Hemagglutination inhibition assays revealed a J-shaped relationship; the oldest birth cohort (years 1911 - 1926) had the highest titers followed by the youngest (years 1987 - 1992). Differential response by vaccination history was also observed, with seasonal influenza vaccine associated with higher titers mainly in the oldest birth cohort. On the assumption that antibody titers are a correlate of protection, structural equation modeling predicted that titer-mediated effect by the vaccine could on its own account for a negative association with seroconversion equivalent to a relative risk reduction of 0.77 (95% confidence interval: 0.60, 0.99) in the oldest birth cohort (years 1911 - 1926). A subset of 503 samples tested against A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1) and A/Puerto Rico/8/1934(H1N1) also revealed different age-related antibody profiles. Effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines against future pandemic strains could thus be age-dependent and related to early life exposures.
PMID: 30165573 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwy192
Investigating the Legacy of 1918 Pandemic on Age-Related Sero-Epidemiology and Immune Responses to Subsequent Influenza A(H1N1) Viruses Through a Structural Equation Model.
Chuah CXP1, Lim RL1, Chen MIC1,2.
Author information
Abstract
Influenza A(H1N1) strains were responsible for two pandemics in the last century. As infections early in life may have long-lasting influence on future immune response against other influenza strains, we drew on previously collected sero-incidence data (n = 2554) to investigate if the 1918 pandemic virus and its early descendants produced an age-related signature in immune responses against the A/California/7/2009(H1N1)pdm09 virus of 2009. Hemagglutination inhibition assays revealed a J-shaped relationship; the oldest birth cohort (years 1911 - 1926) had the highest titers followed by the youngest (years 1987 - 1992). Differential response by vaccination history was also observed, with seasonal influenza vaccine associated with higher titers mainly in the oldest birth cohort. On the assumption that antibody titers are a correlate of protection, structural equation modeling predicted that titer-mediated effect by the vaccine could on its own account for a negative association with seroconversion equivalent to a relative risk reduction of 0.77 (95% confidence interval: 0.60, 0.99) in the oldest birth cohort (years 1911 - 1926). A subset of 503 samples tested against A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1) and A/Puerto Rico/8/1934(H1N1) also revealed different age-related antibody profiles. Effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines against future pandemic strains could thus be age-dependent and related to early life exposures.
PMID: 30165573 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwy192