Long term immune responses to pandemic influenza A/H1N1 infection in solid organ transplant recipients

PLoS One. 2011;6(12):e28627. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028627. Epub 2011 Dec 14.

Abstract

In solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients it is unknown if natural infection with influenza confers protection from re-infection with the same strain during the next influenza season. The purpose of this study was to determine if infection with pandemic influenza A/H1N1 (pH1N1) resulted in a long-term immunologic response. Transplant recipients with microbiologically proven pH1N1 infection in 2009/2010 underwent humoral and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) testing for pH1N1 just prior to the next influenza season. Concurrent testing for A/Brisbane/59/2007 was done to rule-out cross-reacting antibody. We enrolled 22 adult transplant patients after pH1N1 infection. Follow up testing was done at a median of 7.4 months (range 5.8-15.4) after infection. After excluding those with cross-reactive antibody, 7/19 (36.8%) patients were seroprotected. Detectable pH1N1-specific CD4+ and CD8+ interferon-γ producing T-cells were found in 11/22 (50%) and 8/22 (36.4%) patients respectively. Humoral immunity had a significant correlation with a CD4 response. This is the first study in transplant patients to evaluate long-term humoral and cellular response after natural influenza infection. We show that a substantial proportion of SOT recipients with previous pH1N1 infection lack long-term humoral and cellular immune responses to pH1N1. These patients most likely are at risk for re-infection.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Cellular / immunology*
  • Immunity, Humoral / immunology*
  • Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / immunology*
  • Influenza, Human / epidemiology*
  • Influenza, Human / immunology*
  • Influenza, Human / virology
  • Interferon-gamma / immunology
  • Lymphocyte Count
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pandemics*
  • Species Specificity
  • Time Factors
  • Transplants / virology*

Substances

  • Interferon-gamma