Immunologic response to the influenza virus neuraminidase is influenced by prior experience with the associated viral hemagglutinin. I. Studies in human vaccinees.

Analysis of an earlier study of H3N2 and H7N2 inactivated influenza vaccines in schoolchildren demonstrated a greater viral neuraminidase (NA) immunogenicity of the vaccine containing the H7 hemagglutinin (HA) antigen to which they had not been primed, despite the lesser NA antigen content of that vaccine. Thus, prior experience with the influenza viral HA appeared to have a negative influence on immune response to NA, the associated external glycoprotein, presumably on the basis of intermolecular antigenic competition. In a second study, sequential immunologic response to influenza viral NA was compared in college students who were immunized with either conventional commercial vaccine or an antigenic reassortant H7N1 vaccine, and who subsequently experienced natural infection with an H1N1 influenza virus. Although both vaccines were only marginally immunogenic in inducing NA antibody response in seronegative subjects, in vaccinees initially seropositive for HA antibody significant NA antibody titer increases occurred with H7N1 vaccine. Subsequent natural infection boosted NA antibody less effectively in the population previously primed by natural infection than in initially seronegative subjects primed by H7N1 vaccination. It is suggested that primary immunization monospecific for influenza viral NA may alter the subsequent pattern of immune response to one more favorable to the induction of NA antibody when virus is encountered.