Article Text
Abstract
Background Both antibody and cell-mediated immune responses are involved in the defence against influenza. In Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), antibody responses to influenza vaccination appear to be similar to those in healthy controls, but cell-mediated responses have not been studied.
Objective To determine whether cell-mediated responses to influenza vaccination in WG vary from those in controls.
Methods Twenty-five patients with WG and healthy controls received subunit influenza vaccine. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained before and 1 month after vaccination. Cell-mediated responses to A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 were assessed using interferon γ (IFNγ) ELISpot and intracellular cytokine staining for IFNγ, tumour necrosis factor and interleukin 2.
Results Before vaccination, patients and controls showed similar recall responses to A/H1N1 and A/H3N2. After vaccination, patients and controls showed similar levels of increase in spot-forming cells against A/H1N1 and A/H3N2. By flow cytometry, upon vaccination, proportions of cytokine-producing CD4 T cells increased in patients and controls for A/H1N1 and A/H3N2.
Conclusions Cell-mediated responses to influenza vaccination in patients with WG are comparable to those in healthy controls.
Dutch Trials Register number NTR1130.
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Footnotes
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Funding Unrestricted grants were received from Jan Kornelis de Cock Foundation, the Netherlands; Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Weesp, The Netherlands; Solvay Pharmaceuticals also, unrestrictedly, provided the vaccine.
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Competing interests AP is employed by Solvay Pharmaceuticals. His contribution to this study and manuscript was unrestricted by Solvay Pharmaceuticals.
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Ethics approval This study was conducted with the approval of the ethics committee of the University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.