Abstract
IntroductionPrompted by recent amendments of Yellow Fever (YF) vaccination guidelines from boost to single vaccination strategy and the paucity of clinical data to support this adjustment, we used the profile of the YF-specific CD8+ T-cell subset profiles after primary vaccination and neutralizing antibodies as a proxy for potentially longer lasting immunity.Methods and FindingsPBMCs and serum were collected in six individuals on days 0, 3, 5, 12, 28 and 180, and in 99 individuals >10 years after YF-vaccination. Phenotypic characteristics of YF- tetramer+ CD8+ T-cells were determined using class I tetramers. Antibody responses were measured using a standardized plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Also, characteristics of YF-tetramer positive CD8+ T-cells were compared between individuals who had received a primary- and a booster vaccination. YF-tetramer+ CD8+ T-cells were detectable on day 12 (median tetramer+ cells as percentage of CD8+ T-cells 0.2%, range 0.07–3.1%). On day 180, these cells were still present (median 0.06%, range 0.02–0.78%). The phenotype of YF-tetramer positive CD8+ T-cells shifted from acute phase effector cells on day 12, to late differentiated or effector memory phenotype (CD45RA-/+CD27-) on day 28. Two subsets of YF-tetramer positive T-cells (CD45RA+CD27- and CD45RA+CD27+) persisted until day 180. Within all phenotypic subsets, the T-bet: Eomes ratio tended to be high on day 28 after vaccination and shifted towards predominant Eomes expression on day 180 (median 6.0 (day 28) vs. 2.2 (day 180) p = 0.0625), suggestive of imprinting compatible with long-lived memory properties. YF-tetramer positive CD8+ T-cells were detectable up to 18 years post vaccination, YF-specific antibodies were detectable up to 40 years after single vaccination. Booster vaccination did not increase titers of YF-specific antibodies (mean 12.5 vs. 13.1, p = 0.583), nor induce frequencies or alter phenotypes of YF-tetramer+ CD8+ T-cells.ConclusionThe presence of a functionally competent YF-specific memory T-cell pool 18 years and sufficient titers of neutralizing antibodies 35–40 years after first vaccination suggest that single vaccination may be sufficient to provide long-term immunity.
Highlights
Prompted by recent amendments of Yellow Fever (YF) vaccination guidelines from boost to single vaccination strategy and the paucity of clinical data to support this adjustment, we used the profile of the YF-specific CD8+ T-cell subset profiles after primary vaccination and neutralizing antibodies as a proxy for potentially longer lasting immunity.Published: March 15, 2016
Yellow fever (YF) infection is a continuous threat in endemic areas
Since the development of the 17-D YF vaccine in the 1930’s, effective prevention is possible for people living in endemic areas and for those traveling to these regions
Summary
Study populationThe study population consisted of two groups. One group was prospectively enrolled to obtain PBMC at different time points following vaccination (n = 6). A separate group (retrospective) consisted of healthy volunteers (n = 99), from whom serum was collected at a median of 16.0 years (range 11–40 years) after vaccination. In the latter group 96 had visited flavivirus endemic countries and 90 had visited yellow fever endemic countries. These individuals received either the Stamaril vaccine or Arilvax (Novartis, UK) vaccine Of these 99 individuals, in a subgroup (n = 20), PBMCs were collected at a median of 6.5 years after vaccination (range 0–37 years) that all had visited yellow fever endemic areas. Volunteers with an immune-compromising condition, an allergy to eggs or an age below 18 years were excluded
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