Pre-existing flu immunity impacts antibody quality following infection and vaccination

Pre-existing flu immunity impacts antibody quality following infection and vaccination

..."researchers found that influenza vaccinations boost antibodies that tended to target conserved yet neutralizing regions of the virus, which suggests vaccinations can draw upon pre-existing immunity to prompt more protective responses. 

...Immune system memory ensures a rapid and specific response to previously encountered pathogens.

...As a result, our bodies often rely on old antibodies to fight new influenza strains; this is possible because some parts of the influenza virus that are critical to its structure or function do not change, remaining familiar to our immune system.

...Scientists believe a person's age, history of exposure to the influenza virus and type of exposure—either through infection or vaccination—all shape whether their immune system antibodies target neutralizing or non-neutralizing sites on a virus.

In the UChicago study, scientists sought to address a major knowledge gap: 

• Which conserved viral sites are preferentially targeted following natural infection versus vaccination in people, 
• and how does pre-existing immunity play a role in shaping the landscape of neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies?...Read all.