The relationship between influenza vaccine-induced specific antibody responses and vaccine-induced nonspecific autoantibody responses in healthy older women.

The effect of aging on human humoral immunity was investigated by studying in vivo the relationship between influenza specific antibody responses and nonspecific vaccine-induced autoantibody responses in 32 independent, well-nourished older women volunteers (mean age 86 yr, range 74-97) and 23 young women volunteers (mean age 34 yr, range 23-46). Anti-influenza A/Taiwan/1/86(H1N1) antibody titers were determined by a hemagglutination inhibition test (HI-test), and serum anti-dsDNA antibodies were measured by ELISA prior to, 15, and 30 days after influenza vaccination. The mean postvaccination fold increase (FI) of the anti-influenza antibody response was significantly lower in elderly individuals as compared to younger individuals. In contrast, the mean anti-dsDNA autoantibody level measured 30 days after vaccination was significantly increased in older volunteers as compared to younger ones. There was a significant negative correlation between the level of the FI of the anti-influenza antibody response and the anti-dsDNA antibody response (r = -.441, p less than .01). Our results suggest that the altered influenza specific antibody response was associated with an age-related increase in autoimmunity in aging individuals.