VACCINE-RELATED DETERMINANTS OF THE INTERLEUKIN-2 RESPONSE TO INFLUENZA VACCINATION IN HEALTHY-YOUNG AND ELDERLY ADULTS

This study was designed as a parallel-groups comparison of trivalent p reparations of split-virus vaccine (SVV) and whole-virus influenza vac cine (WVV) in healthy young and elderly adults, Interleukin-2 (IL-2) w as measured in the supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cell ( PBMC) cultures stimulated with live virus preparations of the two stra ins of influenza A contained in the vaccine, The duration of increased in vitro IL-2 production after vaccination was significantly differen t between the two strains of virus, A/Beijing/353/89 resulted in an IL -2 response that was quite short (< 7 weeks) while the response to A/T exas/16/89 was much more prolonged (> 12 weeks), In the first 12 weeks after vaccination, there was no difference in IL-2 levels between SVV and WVV recipients in either the young or elderly groups, The duratio n of the response to A/Texas/16/89 was slightly longer in WVV recipien ts as measured at 26 weeks postvaccination. The viral strain contained in the vaccine appears to be an important variable in determining the duration of the IL-2 response to vaccination.