Age-related Differences in Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses After Primary Immunisation: Indications for Stratified Vaccination Schedules

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2018 Jul 1

PMID 29959387

Citations 58

Authors

Angelika Wagner

Erika Garner-Spitzer

Joanna Jasinska

Herwig Kollaritsch

Karin Stiasny

Michael Kundi

Ursula Wiedermann

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Immunosenescence is characterised by reduced B and T cell responses. Evidence shows that booster vaccinations are less effective in elderly people, but data on the efficacy of primary immunisation are sparse. We conducted a monocentric, open label, phase IV trial to compare immune responses to primary vaccinations using the inactivated, adjuvanted Japanese Encephalitis vaccine by 30 elderly people (mean 69, range 61-78 years) and 30 younger people (mean 24, range 18-30 years). Humoral and cellular immune responses were analysed in relation to age and cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositivity. Vaccine-specific antibody titres were significantly lower in elderly participants and 47% of them were non- or low responders after the two doses of the vaccine neo-antigen. The reduced humoral immune responses in elderly people correlated with reduced cytokine production, such as interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in vitro, as well as higher frequencies of late-differentiated effector and effector memory T cells and T regulatory cells. These cellular changes and lower antibody titres were particularly prominent in CMV-seropositive elderly participants. If primary vaccination before the age of 60 is not possible, elderly patients may require different vaccination strategies to ensure sufficient long-lasting immunity, such as adapted or accelerated schedules and the use of different adjuvants.

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