Antibody response to influenza immunization in two consecutive epidemic seasons in patients with renal diseases

The aim of this study was to assess antihemagglutinin and antineuraminidase antibody kinetics in 26 patients with renal diseases vaccinated against in fluenza in two consecutive epidemic seasons. Antibody responses were measur ed before immunization and 1, 3 and 6 months after immunization. Antihemagg lutinin (HI) antibodies were determined by the hemagglutinin inhibition tes t and antineuraminidase (NI) antibody levels by the neuraminidase inhibitio n test. After vaccination HI and NI antibody titers significantly increased when compared with the pre-vaccination levels. Three months after vaccinat ion the protection rates ranged from 50 to 61.5% in the 1995/96 season and 100% for all antigens in the 1996/97 season. Response rates ranged from 50 to 57.7% and 93.8 to 100% respectively. Significantly higher humoral respon se was recorded in the 1996/97 season than in the 1995/96 season. No seriou s adverse reactions were observed in the vaccinated patients and no symptom s of influenza or influenza-like infection were noted. In spite of some dou bts about the safety and efficacy of influenza vaccination in patients from high-risk groups, the results of this study showed that many of them are a ble to produce HI antibodies in titers which are sufficient to protect agai nst the influenza infection. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.