[Influenza vaccination with a trivalent whole virus vaccine]

During winter 1979/80 21 trainee nurses aged 18-22 years were vaccinated once with an intact influenza vaccine containing for the first time, two different virus-A subtypes as well as a B-strain. 22 trainee nurses from the same school served as controls. A greater than or equal to 4-fold seroconversion (2 dilution steps) was observed in 67% (A/Texas/77), 83% (A/USSR/77) and 57% (B/Hongkong/73) of the vaccinated, but only in 5% (A/Texas/77, one case) of the non-vaccinated. In the vaccinated group 36 reciprocal titers rose from < 80 to greater than or equal to 80 so that, with 3 exceptions (A/USSR/77, all vaccinees had a reciprocal titer of greater than or equal to 80 after 28 days. In the unvaccinated group only 3 reciprocal titers rose from < 80 to greater than or equal to 80 (A/Texas/77), so that 42 reciprocal titers were still below 80 after 28 days.