Influenza Vaccination in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses

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Abstract
Influenza infection in renal transplant recipients may cause morbidity and mortality or acute allograft rejection; routine annual influenza vaccination should be considered. The humoral and cellular immune responses to influenza virus antigens before and after trivalent vaccine administration were studied in 13 patients and 16 control subjects. The patients, 9 of whom were on alternate-day or low-dose daily steroid therapy, showed highly significant serum hemagglutination-inhibition [HAI] antibody [Ab] responses to each influenza virus strain. There was no significant change in mean lymphocyte stimulation index to any influenza virus strain after vaccination in either group. There was no correlation in the patient group between HAI Ab titer or response, or lymphocyte stimulation index or response, and the degree of allograft function or dose or duration of immunosuppressive therapy. The vigorous Ab response and evidence of cellular immunity support the efficacy of influenza vaccination in these patients.