Lymphocyte blastogenic responses to influenza virus antigens after influenza infection and vaccination in humans

Virus-specific in vitro cell-mediated immune responses were investigated in 20 normal volunteers who were challenged with liver influenza A/VIC/3/75 (H3N2) virus and in 13 volunteers who were vaccinated with inactivated vaccine containing A/VIC and A/NJ/8/76 (HswN1) antigens. Lymphocyte cultures were established from peripheral blood samples obtained prior to and at various times after infection or vaccination. Blastogenesis was determined by [3H]thymidine incorporation after stimulation of cultures with purified, inactivated, whole influenza viruses. Six days after infection, significantly elevated levels of blastogenesis were observed after in vitro stimulation with A viruses of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase subtypes that were the same as (H3N2) or antigenically distinct from (Heq1Neq1 or HswN1) those of the challenge virus, although maximum stimulation was noted with virus of the same hemagglutinin subtype (H3) as the challenge virus. Similar although more prolonged blastogenic responses were noted in lymphocyte cultures from vaccinees who had serum antibody rises after vaccination. The kinetics of these responses suggest that cell-mediated immunity may play a role in early events after infection and vaccination with influenza virus.