Impact of prior vaccination on antibody response and influenza-like illness among Australian healthcare workers after influenza vaccination in 2016.

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological studies suggest that influenza vaccine effectiveness decreases with repeated administration. We examined antibody responses to influenza vaccination among healthcare workers (HCWs) by prior vaccination history and determined the incidence of influenza infection.

METHODS

HCWs were vaccinated with the 2016 Southern Hemisphere quadrivalent influenza vaccine. Serum samples were collected pre-vaccination, 21-28 days and 7 months post-vaccination. Influenza antibody titres were measured at each time-point using the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. Immunogenicity was compared by prior vaccination history.

RESULTS

A total of 157 HCWs completed the study. The majority were frequently vaccinated, with only 5 reporting no prior vaccinations since 2011. Rises in titres for all vaccine strains among vaccine-naïve HCWs were significantly greater than rises observed for HCWs who received between 1 and 5 prior vaccinations (p < 0.001, respectively). Post-vaccination GMTs against influenza A but not B strains decreased as the number of prior vaccinations increased from 1 to 5. There was a significant decline in GMTs post-season for both B lineages. Sixty five (41%) HCWs reported at least one influenza-like illness episode, with 6 (4%) identified as influenza positive.

CONCLUSIONS

Varying serological responses to influenza vaccination were observed among HCWs by prior vaccination history, with vaccine-naïve HCWs demonstrating greater post-vaccination responses against A(H3N2).