EVALUATION OF A RECOMBINANT HEMAGGLUTININ EXPRESSED IN INSECT CELLS AS AN INFLUENZA VACCINE IN YOUNG AND ELDERLY ADULTS

Healthy subjects <45 years old (young adults) or >65 (elderly adults) were randomized in double-blind fashion to receive intramuscularly sub virion trivalent influenza vaccine, placebo, or 15, 45, or 135 mu g of the hemagglutinin (HA) of the influenza A/Beijing/32/92 (H3N2) virus expressed in insect cells by a recombinant baculovirus (rHA0). All vac cines were well tolerated, Both young and elderly adults manifested se rum hemagglutination-inhibition, virus neutralizing, and HA-specific I ge ELISA antibody responses to rHA0 vaccine, In young adults given 135 mu g of rHA0, the vaccine was significantly more immunogenic than sub virion influenza vaccine, Elderly adults also had increased antibody r esponses to 135 mu g of rHA0 compared with subvirion vaccine, but the difference was not statistically significant, These results demonstrat e that high-dose rHA0 vaccines are well tolerated and effectively indu ce both functional and binding serum HA-specific antibody in young and elderly adults.