Effects of Prior Influenza Exposure on Immunogenicity of Influenza Vaccine

Background To investigate effects of prior influenza exposure on vaccine-elicited humor immune responses to circulating influenza variants. Method We randomly selected 360 participants in previous clinical trials stratified by age. Blood samples before and 28 days after vaccination were collected and tested by hemagglutination-inhibition tests against both vaccine strains and circulating variants during the 2015–2016 influenza seasons in China. The antigenic map was plotted and antigenic distance was calculated. Results Subjects with H1-priming had higher cross-reactive antibodies titers against A/JiangsuTinghu/11019/2015(H3N2) compared with subjects with B-priming did (Padjusted=0.038). Subjects with H1-priming also had higher cross-reactive antibodies titers against A/Jiangsu Qinhuai/11059/2015(H3N2) than subjects with both H1 and B priming did (Padjusted=0.036). Nevertheless, subjects with no H1 and B-priming had higher cross-reactive antibodies titers against A/Jiangsu Qinhuai/11059/2015(H3N2) than subjects with both H1 and B priming did (Padjusted=0.012). Antigenic distance was well-matched with serological results. Besides, age-specific differences in human post-vaccination responses against the identical circulating strain was noted. And children had most cross-reactive response to both H3N2 and B-yamagata subtypes. Conclusion Our results suggest that prior exposure to H1 or B influenza virus may influence cross-reactivity of H3-specific post-vaccination responses and consequently could influence the vaccine effectiveness. Our findings also support that there are age-specific differences in human post-vaccination responses.