tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Emerg Microbes Infect
. 2026 Dec;15(1):2731495.
doi: 10.1080/22221751.2026.2731495. Epub 2026 Sep 21.
Masato Hatta 1 , Ying Huang 1 , Jeremy A Duke 1 , Joseph R Rouse 1 , Chenchen Feng 1 , Xudong Lin 1 , Li Wang 1 , Melvyn R Almanzar-Jordan 2 , Zhu-Nan Li 1 , James Stevens 1 , Min Z Levine 1 , David E Wentworth 1 , Vivien G Dugan 1 , C Todd Davis 1 , Bin Zhou 1
Affiliations
Limited A(H5)-specific vaccine supply is expected early in a potential A(H5N1) pandemic, raising the question of whether licensed seasonal influenza vaccines could enhance protection when administered before A(H5) vaccination. We evaluated this strategy in mouse and ferret models using clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) viruses. Seasonal influenza vaccination induced antibodies to seasonal haemagglutinins but did not induce detectable antibodies against A(H5) and did not consistently enhance A(H5)-directed antibody responses after A(H5) vaccination. In lethal challenge studies, seasonal vaccine priming before A(H5) vaccination was associated with improved outcomes compared with A(H5) vaccination alone in one of three mouse experiments, but this effect was not observed in the other two mouse experiments or in ferrets. These findings suggest that seasonal influenza vaccine priming provides limited added benefit to A(H5) vaccine-mediated protection against A(H5N1) under the conditions tested.
Keywords: A(H5) vaccine; clade 2.3.4.4b; heterosubtypic immunity; pandemic preparedness; seasonal influenza vaccine priming.
. 2026 Dec;15(1):2731495.
doi: 10.1080/22221751.2026.2731495. Epub 2026 Sep 21.
Limited added benefit of seasonal influenza vaccination before A(H5) vaccination in mice and ferrets challenged with A(H5N1)
Masato Hatta 1 , Ying Huang 1 , Jeremy A Duke 1 , Joseph R Rouse 1 , Chenchen Feng 1 , Xudong Lin 1 , Li Wang 1 , Melvyn R Almanzar-Jordan 2 , Zhu-Nan Li 1 , James Stevens 1 , Min Z Levine 1 , David E Wentworth 1 , Vivien G Dugan 1 , C Todd Davis 1 , Bin Zhou 1
Affiliations
- PMID: 42765371
- DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2026.2731495
Abstract
Limited A(H5)-specific vaccine supply is expected early in a potential A(H5N1) pandemic, raising the question of whether licensed seasonal influenza vaccines could enhance protection when administered before A(H5) vaccination. We evaluated this strategy in mouse and ferret models using clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) viruses. Seasonal influenza vaccination induced antibodies to seasonal haemagglutinins but did not induce detectable antibodies against A(H5) and did not consistently enhance A(H5)-directed antibody responses after A(H5) vaccination. In lethal challenge studies, seasonal vaccine priming before A(H5) vaccination was associated with improved outcomes compared with A(H5) vaccination alone in one of three mouse experiments, but this effect was not observed in the other two mouse experiments or in ferrets. These findings suggest that seasonal influenza vaccine priming provides limited added benefit to A(H5) vaccine-mediated protection against A(H5N1) under the conditions tested.
Keywords: A(H5) vaccine; clade 2.3.4.4b; heterosubtypic immunity; pandemic preparedness; seasonal influenza vaccine priming.