Laboratory Correlates of Immunity to Influenza - a Reassessment Vol. 115

For some 30 years it has been a rule of thumb that antibody to influenza haemagglutinin, induced by natural infection or vaccination, is a universal and useful marker of immunity to influenza. It now seems important to re-examine this hypothesis. Knowledge of the mechanisms of acquired influenza immunity and correlations with measurable laboratory parameters is clearly of importance in understanding influenza epidemiology and vaccine-induced immunity. While immunity is certainly...
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For some 30 years it has been a rule of thumb that antibody to influenza haemagglutinin, induced by natural infection or vaccination, is a universal and useful marker of immunity to influenza. It now seems important to re-examine this hypothesis. Knowledge of the mechanisms of acquired influenza immunity and correlations with measurable laboratory parameters is clearly of importance in understanding influenza epidemiology and vaccine-induced immunity. While immunity is certainly multi-factorial, involving both B and T cell responses, any comprehensive assessment is complicated by the capacity of the virus to undergo extensive and frequent antigenic variation. The aim of this workshop was to review the methods available for assessing immune responses and their advantages and disadvantages; to present information on immune responses to the various vaccine types and attempt to draw possible conclusions on their value in assessing protective immunity; to address the question of standardization and validation of assays and the appropriate use of reference materials; to identify appropriate themes for international collaborative studies.