About Careers Internship MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

Antibodies from Prior Exposure Influence Response to New Flu Strains

by Ramya Rachamanti on March 21, 2019 at 5:03 PM
Antibodies from Prior Exposure Influence Response to New Flu Strains

Role of immunological imprinting or how the immune system fights flu after former exposure to the virus through infections or vaccinations in the production of new antibodies, was highlighted by new research from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe highlights.

Annual flu shot is known to be the best mode of defense for flu, and doctors recommend yearly vaccination, as the flu virus is  continuously changing and undergoing mutation, making old vaccines obsolete.

Advertisement


The conventional wisdom guiding our long-established annual flu shot comes from an understanding that once a person is newly vaccinated, the immune system is reset and all new antibodies are directed to the new flu strain.

"After being vaccinated with a new strain of flu, our immune systems appear to be expanding and boosting antibodies generated by previous exposures to earlier flu viruses, whether by infection or vaccination," said George Georgiou, a professor of biomedical and chemical engineering and molecular biosciences, a leader in the field of therapeutics and immune responses and co-author of the study.
Advertisement

The researchers examined the composition and dynamics of an individual donor's antibody repertoire over a five-year period during which the donor had been infected or vaccinated with influenza multiple times. The study suggests our immune systems are "imprinted" by antibodies that had been elicited in response to influenza strains encountered previously in life.

"Each vaccination still elicits new antibodies that are highly specific to the new strains, but these new antibodies decay over time, returning to the antibody repertoire that already existed before the vaccination," said Jiwon Lee, a postdoctoral fellow in Georgiou's Laboratory of Protein Therapeutics and Applied Immunology who led the study.

The researchers found that the antibody repertoires remained highly static throughout. More than 70 percent of the antibody molecules found in the donor's bloodstream remained the same over five years. More than two-thirds of these persistent antibodies targeted invariant parts of the virus -- the elements that do not change from one year to the next.

These persistent antibodies continue to be produced by the immune system for years and can affect our ability to generate novel antibodies that recognize unique molecular features of a new seasonal strain.

"Currently, there is a very large scientific effort underway to design flu vaccine candidates that focus the immune system to produce antibodies targeting the invariant sites of vulnerability of the influenza virus," Lee said.

Vaccines that can imprint one with highly potent antibodies and, therefore, combat a broad range of influenza strains, could reduce or even eliminate the need for annual vaccinations.

"Now that we have delineated the role of antibody imprinting in adults, the next step is to analyze the immune response to influenza early in life in order to understand how this phenomenon of antibody imprinting arises in the first place, perhaps even in infancy," Lee said.

Influenza is still one of the world's most widespread viruses and is extremely difficult to contain. Globally, the influenza virus infects more than 1 billion people and results in approximately half a million deaths annually. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is investing heavily in the development of a universal flu vaccine that could provide long-term protection against multiple subtypes of flu. Such a vaccine could eliminate the need for the annual flu shot entirely.

Until such a universal flu vaccine is successfully developed, the annual flu shot is unquestionably still the best way to prevent infection.

Source: Eurekalert
Font : A-A+

Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Readings

Latest General Health News

US Woman Loses All Limbs in Fish-Related Bacterial Outbreak
In a tragic incident, a woman in the US experienced the loss of all her limbs as a result of a bacterial outbreak linked to the consumption of contaminated fish.
NIH Launches the First In-Human Universal Flu Vaccine Trial
FluMos-v2, a unique universal influenza vaccine candidate, undergoing a phase 1 trial at NIH, increases recipients' immunity against many influenza viruses.
Global Polio Eradication Initiative Assesses Vaccination Strategies in Pakistan
In Pakistan, the polio campaign focuses on more than 270,000 children under the age of five years, residing in areas with insufficient vaccine coverage.
Diagnostic Errors: The Rocky Road to Life-threatening Health Complications
Dangers of Wrong Diagnosis: Diagnostic errors in healthcare can increase the risk of permanent disabilities and deaths.
Strategies To Maintain Work-Life Balance In The Digital Age
Due to our constant connectivity and the ability to be accessible at all times, it has become challenging to separate from work and fully participate in personal life.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
MediBotMediBot
Greetings! How can I assist you?MediBot
×

Antibodies from Prior Exposure Influence Response to New Flu Strains Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests