Immune response to influenza vaccination in institutionalized elderly: effect on different T-cell subsets

Humoral and cellular immunological responses to influenza vaccination were measured in volunteers in a long-term care facility. All participants were vaccinated with the commercially available 1994-95 trivalent influenza vaccine and blood samples were collected before and 6 and 12 weeks after vaccination. Cytokine and granzyme B in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures after virus stimulation, and serum antibody titres were measured for each of these time points. In general, the measures of the immunological response to vaccination were low and variably significant. The major finding was the difference with respect to post-vaccination measures for the two strains of influenza A contained in the vaccine. Geometric mean antibody titres were significantly higher for A/Texas/36/91 at all time points in the study when compared to A/Shangdong/09/93. There was a corresponding rise for interleukin-10 (IL-10) to the A/Texas/36/91 strain while no increase in IL-10 was observed in A/Shangdong/09/93-stimulated cultures after vaccination. In contrast, granzyme B rose after vaccination only in cultures stimulated with A/Shangdong/09/93. Interferon-gamma levels were also significantly higher in these PBMC cultures. There was a poor interleukin-2 (IL-2) response to both strains of influenza A. These data suggest that different strains or subtypes of influenza A may preferentially enhance T-helper type 1 versus type 2 responses through vaccination in institutionalized seniors.