New animal study suggests innate immunity from infection may boost immune response
In a new study funded by the University of Georgia’s National Institutes of Health, researchers found that natural immunity from past influenza infection significantly influences the effectiveness of future influenza vaccinations.
This means if you’re one of the estimated 1 in 5 Americans unlucky enough to get the flu each year, according to the NIH, you could see an unexpected turnaround in your illness. may mean
It may help fight viruses in future versions.
Ye Shen
“Overall, pre-existing immunity acquired through natural infection helps strengthen the immune response,” said Ye Sheng, corresponding author of the study and a professor in the UGA College of Public Health. . “Until this study, we did not fully understand how pre-existing immunity from natural infection with different influenza strains alters vaccine-induced immune responses. We now have a better understanding of how pre-existing immunity affects immune responses to different types of vaccines.”
Influenza vaccination is aimed at responding to evolving viruses.
Each flu season, flu shots target specific strains of the virus. So when scientists develop a flu vaccine, they must make educated guesses about which strains are most likely to circulate.
A lot of research goes into developing the shot, but it’s not 100% accurate.
Influenza viruses are constantly evolving and have the ability to develop new, more virulent strains, making them difficult to fight.
“In some years, that mismatch means that you don’t get enough protection from the vaccine,” Shen said. “Because of that, people are starting to worry about whether the vaccine is actually protecting them from the flu. But this study shows the benefits of having pre-existing immunity, and that’s a good thing. is.”
Vaccination after recovery can strengthen the immune system
Researchers tested vaccines made with different influenza strains.
They found that when animals were infected with one strain of influenza, administering a vaccine targeting that same strain boosted the animals’ immune response.
But when animals infected with the original strain of the virus were given a vaccine directed against a different influenza strain, their overall immunity also improved significantly.
The body protects itself against one strain with a natural immune response, and the vaccine induces a broader immune response against different influenza strains, so the body is better protected.
Animals that are initially virus-free but receive the vaccine are more likely to need a booster because they lack natural immunity.
The study is part of a larger seven-year NIH-funded study aimed at developing a universal influenza vaccine for vulnerable populations.
“In our future studies, we will further investigate more clinically relevant outcomes, including actual human infections. Boosting antibodies alone may not be enough,” Shen said. spoke. “Is that enough to protect against mutations in different influenza strains? This is where individual-level heterogeneity becomes important and continues to be researched in this area.”
The study, published in the journal Vaccines, was co-authored by Yao Lu, who also did much of the data analysis, Andreas Handel of the UGA College of Public Health, and Ted Ross of the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. Other co-authors include Yang Ge, James D. Allen, Tal Einav, Dennis I. Nkaleke, and Fengwei Bai.
