Cellular and humoral immune responses to pandemic influenza vaccine in healthy and in highly active antiretroviral therapy-treated HIV patients

Abstract Influenza vaccination is recommended for HAART-treated HIV patients to prevent influenza illness and complications. Due to the known ability of T cells to mediate a broadly cross-reactive response, vaccination effectiveness in cell-mediated immune (CMI) response induction is a main objective in new influenza vaccination strategies. Nevertheless, data on CMI responses after pandemic vaccination in HIV subjects are still missing. In the present study, the ability of a single dose of adjuvanted pandemic influenza vaccine to induce humoral and CMI responses was compared in HAART-treated HIV patients and in healthcare workers. Healthcare workers (HCW, n=65) and HAART-treated HIV patients (HIV, n=67) receiving pandemic vaccination were enrolled and analyzed before (t0) and after (t1) vaccination. The analysis of strain-specific humoral response was performed by HAI assay; CMI against pandemic (A/H1N1/Cal/09) and seasonal (A/H1N1/Brisb/07 and A/H3N2/Brisb/07) strains was analyzed by ELISpot and intracel...