Cross-protection in mice after immunization with H2N2, H3N2, and Heq2Neq2 influenza virus strains

Mice were vaccinated with the influenza viruses A/Japan/57 (H2N2), A/Hong Kong/68 (H3N2), and A/Equi/Miami/63 (Heq2Neq2) and the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase recombinants derived from these viruses. After infection with the parent viruses, protection was compared with serological findings. It was found that influenza vaccine protects not only against infection with a strain identical or closely related to the vaccine strain, but against heterologous strains as well. Vaccination with Hong Kong/68 and its neuraminidase recombinant resulted in a heterologous neuraminidase inhibition titer against Japan/57 and in a protection against infection with Japan/57. By contrast, after vaccination with Japan/57 and its neuraminidase recombinant, no relevant heterologous neuraminidase inhibition titer against Hong Kong/68 was observed, whereas a protection against infection with Hong Kong/68 did exist. A cross-protection between Hong Kong/68 and Miami/63, but no relationship in the hemagglutination or neuraminidase inhibition tests, was established in the preinfection sera. A one-way antigenic relationship between these viruses was confirmed by the rise of hemagglutinin or neuraminidase antibodies against Hong Kong/68 in the postinfection sera. No cross-protection or serological relationship existed between Miami/63 and Japan/57. Besides the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, a third factor, the "mouse-protecting antigen," was considered to contribute to the protection obtained. According to the protection observed, the mouse-protecting antigen of Hong Kong/68 virus is related to that of Japan/57 as well as Miami/63 virus. The mouse-protecting antigens of both Japan/57 and Miami/63 are related to that of Hong Kong/68.