D. Grekas et al., INFLUENZA VACCINATION ON RENAL-TRANSPLANT PATIENTS IS SAFE AND SEROLOGICALLY EFFECTIVE, International journal of clinical pharmacology, therapy and toxicology, 31(11), 1993, pp. 553-556
Since immunosuppressed patients are at higher risk of serious influenz
a virus infection than healthy subjects, we decided to study the serol
ogical effectiveness of influenza vaccination on renal transplant pati
ents, despite the theoretical aspect that such treatment could induce
glomerular lesions through an immunological process. Forty transplant
patients aged from 20 to 50 years with well functioning renal graft an
d no febrile episode were studied. Blood samples were collected before
the intramuscular injection of 0.5 ml of multivalent influenza vaccin
e (PASTEUR MERIEUX SERUM VACCINS), at one and at two months after the
vaccination. Before vaccination, the antibody titers to influenza viru
s ranged from 0 to 1/20 and after vaccination from 1/20 to 1/320. One
month after vaccination 17/40 (42.5%), 18/31 (58%) and 16/33 (48%) pat
ients showed a four-fold or greater increase of serum influenza antibo
dy titers to antigens A/H3N2, A/H1N1 and B, respectively. A similar re
sponse at two months in relation to the first month response rate afte
r vaccination was found in 15/17 (88%), 18/18 (100%), and 15/16 (93%)
of transplant patients for the above mentioned three antigens. Side-ef
fects were observed in two of the studied patients. Serum creatinine a
nd urine protein were not changed. Also acute graft rejection episodes
were not observed. It is suggested that influenza vaccination is safe
and serologically effective on renal transplant patients.