A plant-derived VLP influenza vaccine elicits a balanced immune response even in very old mice with co-morbidities.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The elderly are at high risk from influenza, in part because immunity wanes with age and through the accumulation of comorbidities. A novel plant-derived virus-like-particle (VLP) vaccine bearing influenza hemagglutinin can induce a balanced humoral and cellular response in old mice (16-18 months) while split virion vaccines elicit mostly antibodies. Because mice also collect comorbidities and lose immune competence as they age, we wished to determine how the plant-derived VLP vaccine would perform in animals approaching the end of their life-span.

Materials and methods

Old (24-26 months) female BALB/c mice received two intramuscular doses of H1-VLP vaccine, an inactivated H1N1 vaccine (IIV) (both based on A/H1N1/California/07/09) (3μg each) or PBS. Serum was coll

SUBMITTER: Hodgins B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6328122 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature