Immunogenicity of influenza vaccine in patients with hemato-oncological disorders

The aim of this study was to measure the production of antihemagglutinin an d antineuraminidase antibodies in patients with proliferative diseases of t he hematopoietic or lymphatic system, immunized with influenza vaccine in t he epidemic season 1995/96. Twenty patients between 22 and 84 years volunte ered for vaccination and were vaccinated subcutaneously with a single dose of split trivalent inluenza vaccine ("Fluarix", SmithKline Beecham) in autu mn 1995 at the outpatients clinic, General Hospital, Torun, Poland, where t hey were being treated with anti-cancer chemotherapy. The vaccine consisted of a 0.5 mi dose containing 15 mu g hemagglutinin (HA) of each of the foll owing strains: A/Singapore/6/86 (H1N1), A/Johannesburg/33/94 (H3N2) and B/B eijing/184/93. Neuraminidase activity amounted to 17.24 x 10(-3) U/ml. Anti body production was determined in sera collected before vaccination, 10 day s and 28 days after vaccination by the hemagglutinin inhibition test (HI) a nd neuraminidase inhibition test (NI). Mean fold increase values after vacc ination were statistically significant in patients undergoing cytostatic tr eatment. After 28 days mean fold increase of antihemagglutinin antibodies r anged from 7.9 to 25.2, while in the case of antineuraminidase antibodies t hese values were between 12.4 and 14.3. It is notable that no adverse react ions were observed after immunization and none of the patients was infected with influenza virus, in spite of the fact that there was a local epidemic in the Torun region when the study was carried out. The results presented in this paper confirm the beneficial effect of influenza vaccination in hig h-risk groups of patients with proliferative diseases of the hematopoietic and lymphatic systems.