Andrew C Hayward1, Lili Wang2, Nilu Goonetilleke2,3, Ellen B Fragaszy1,4, Alison Bermingham5, Andrew Copas6, Oliver Dukes1, Elizabeth R C Millett6,4, Irwin Nazareth7, Jonathan S Nguyen-Van-Tam8, John M Watson9, Maria Zambon5, Anne M Johnson6, Andrew J McMichael2. 1. 1 Department of Infectious Disease Informatics, Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research. 2. 2 Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. 3. 3 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 4. 4 Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom. 5. 5 Respiratory Virus Unit, Centre for Infections, Public Health England, Colindale, United Kingdom. 6. 6 Research Department of Infection and Population Health, and. 7. 7 Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom. 8. 8 Health Protection and Influenza Research Group, Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom; and. 9. 9 Department of Health, London, United Kingdom.
Abstract
RATIONALE: A high proportion of influenza infections are asymptomatic. Animal and human challenge studies and observational studies suggest T cells protect against disease among those infected, but the impact of T-cell immunity at the population level is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether naturally preexisting T-cell responses targeting highly conserved internal influenza proteins could provide cross-protective immunity against pandemic and seasonal influenza. METHODS: We quantified influenza A(H3N2) virus-specific T cells in a population cohort during seasonal and pandemic periods between 2006 and 2010. Follow-up included paired serology, symptom reporting, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) investigation of symptomatic cases. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 1,414 unvaccinated individuals had baseline T-cell measurements (1,703 participant observation sets). T-cell responses to A(H3N2) virus nucleoprotein (NP) dominated and strongly cross-reacted with A(H1N1)pdm09 NP (P < 0.001) in participants lacking antibody to A(H1N1)pdm09. Comparison of paired preseason and post-season sera (1,431 sets) showed 205 (14%) had evidence of infection based on fourfold influenza antibody titer rises. The presence of NP-specific T cells before exposure to virus correlated with less symptomatic, PCR-positive influenza A (overall adjusted odds ratio, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.68; P = 0.005, during pandemic [P = 0.047] and seasonal [P = 0.049] periods). Protection was independent of baseline antibodies. Influenza-specific T-cell responses were detected in 43%, indicating a substantial population impact. CONCLUSIONS: Naturally occurring cross-protective T-cell immunity protects against symptomatic PCR-confirmed disease in those with evidence of infection and helps to explain why many infections do not cause symptoms. Vaccines stimulating T cells may provide important cross-protective immunity.
RATIONALE: A high proportion of influenza infections are asymptomatic. Animal and human challenge studies and observational studies suggest T cells protect against disease among those infected, but the impact of T-cell immunity at the population level is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether naturally preexisting T-cell responses targeting highly conserved internal influenza proteins could provide cross-protective immunity against pandemic and seasonal influenza. METHODS: We quantified influenza A(H3N2) virus-specific T cells in a population cohort during seasonal and pandemic periods between 2006 and 2010. Follow-up included paired serology, symptom reporting, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) investigation of symptomatic cases. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 1,414 unvaccinated individuals had baseline T-cell measurements (1,703 participant observation sets). T-cell responses to A(H3N2) virus nucleoprotein (NP) dominated and strongly cross-reacted with A(H1N1)pdm09 NP (P < 0.001) in participants lacking antibody to A(H1N1)pdm09. Comparison of paired preseason and post-season sera (1,431 sets) showed 205 (14%) had evidence of infection based on fourfold influenza antibody titer rises. The presence of NP-specific T cells before exposure to virus correlated with less symptomatic, PCR-positive influenza A (overall adjusted odds ratio, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.68; P = 0.005, during pandemic [P = 0.047] and seasonal [P = 0.049] periods). Protection was independent of baseline antibodies. Influenza-specific T-cell responses were detected in 43%, indicating a substantial population impact. CONCLUSIONS: Naturally occurring cross-protective T-cell immunity protects against symptomatic PCR-confirmed disease in those with evidence of infection and helps to explain why many infections do not cause symptoms. Vaccines stimulating T cells may provide important cross-protective immunity.
Entities:
Keywords:
T lymphocytes; cellular immunity; cohort studies
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