Human responses to purified surface antigen invluenza vaccine (Fluvirin)

The dose response to a bivalent purified surface antigen vaccine containing A/Victoria/3/75 and B/Hong Kong/8/73 has been studied in volunteers. Over the range studied the response was very flat for both components insofar as the HI antibody was concerned. The lower, but still satisfactory, conversion rate to the B component may reflect the absence of previous experience with this strain. In another study in schoolboys a trivalent surface antigen containing A/New Jersey, A/Victoria and B/Hong Kong at 200 I.U. each was compared with a whole virus vaccine containing 400 I.U. of each of the three strains. There was a significant reduction in reaction rate in boys receiving the subunit vaccine. Seroconversion rates were comparable for the two vaccines, except in the case of the New Jersey component when they were significantly better for whole virus than for subunits.