Month of Influenza Virus Vaccination Influences Antibody Responses in Children and Adults

Penkert, Rhiannon R.; Patel, Nehali; Webby, Richard J.; Ross, Ted M.; Hurwitz, Julia L.

doi:10.3390/vaccines9020068

Open AccessCommunication

Month of Influenza Virus Vaccination Influences Antibody Responses in Children and Adults

by

Rhiannon R. Penkert

¹

,

Nehali Patel

¹

,

Richard J. Webby

^1,2,

Ted M. Ross

³

and

Julia L. Hurwitz

^1,2,*

¹

Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA

²

Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA

³

Center for Vaccines and Immunology, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Vaccines 2021, 9(2), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9020068

Submission received: 3 November 2020 / Revised: 13 January 2021 / Accepted: 13 January 2021 / Published: 20 January 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Vaccine Development and Immunotherapies)

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Abstract

The improvement of influenza virus vaccines and the development of a universal product have been long-standing goals in pre-clinical and clinical research. To meet these goals and to understand the strengths and weaknesses of current vaccine strategies, scientists routinely study human responses toward seasonal influenza vaccines. This research is frequently performed with clinical samples taken throughout an influenza season, often without strict attention to the month of inoculation for each study participant. Here, we ask how the timing of vaccination affects outcomes. Results demonstrate significant influences of inoculation month on the immune response. During the progression from fall to winter months, there are changes in host lifestyles and in the frequencies of clinical/sub-clinical viral infections that can significantly alter vaccine immunogenicity. We now recommend routine assessment of inoculation month during clinical studies to inform data interpretation and expedite the development of successful vaccines. This recommendation is pertinent to numerous vaccine development efforts within and outside the influenza virus field.

Keywords: month; influenza virus; immune response; vaccination; hemagglutination inhibition

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MDPI and ACS Style

Penkert, R.R.; Patel, N.; Webby, R.J.; Ross, T.M.; Hurwitz, J.L. Month of Influenza Virus Vaccination Influences Antibody Responses in Children and Adults. Vaccines 2021, 9, 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9020068

AMA Style

Penkert RR, Patel N, Webby RJ, Ross TM, Hurwitz JL. Month of Influenza Virus Vaccination Influences Antibody Responses in Children and Adults. Vaccines. 2021; 9(2):68. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9020068

Chicago/Turabian Style

Penkert, Rhiannon R., Nehali Patel, Richard J. Webby, Ted M. Ross, and Julia L. Hurwitz. 2021. "Month of Influenza Virus Vaccination Influences Antibody Responses in Children and Adults" Vaccines 9, no. 2: 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9020068

APA Style

Penkert, R. R., Patel, N., Webby, R. J., Ross, T. M., & Hurwitz, J. L. (2021). Month of Influenza Virus Vaccination Influences Antibody Responses in Children and Adults. Vaccines, 9(2), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9020068

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Month of Influenza Virus Vaccination Influences Antibody Responses in Children and Adults

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