Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

We introduce the antibody landscape, a method for the quantitative analysis of antibody-mediated immunity to antigenically variable pathogens, achieved by accounting for antigenic variation among pathogen strains. We generated antibody landscapes to study immune profiles covering 43 years of influenza A/H3N2 virus evolution for 69 individuals monitored for infection over 6 years and for 225 individuals pre- and postvaccination. Upon infection and vaccination, titers increased broadly, including previously encountered viruses far beyond the extent of cross-reactivity observed after a primary infection. We explored implications for vaccination and found that the use of an antigenically advanced virus had the dual benefit of inducing antibodies against both advanced and previous antigenic clusters. These results indicate that preemptive vaccine updates may improve influenza vaccine efficacy in previously exposed individuals.

Original publication

DOI

10.1126/science.1256427

Type

Journal article

Journal

Science (New York, N.Y.)

Publication Date

11/2014

Volume

346

Pages

996 - 1000

Addresses

Center for Pathogen Evolution, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.

Keywords

Humans, Influenza Vaccines, Antibodies, Viral, Vaccination, Evolution, Molecular, Antigenic Variation, Influenza, Human, Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype