E-rosette forming cells and humoral antibody titres in humans after vaccination with three different inactivated influenza virus vaccines A/USSR/92/77 (H1N1).

The number of E-rosette forming cells and the serum haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titres were examined in 37 volunteers immediately before and 14, 28, 35 and 63 days after immunization with three inactivated influenza virus vaccines A/USSR/92/77 (H1N1)--NIB 6 and in 11 non-vaccinated controls. From the former, 10 volunteers were immunized with 1000 haemagglutinin (HA) IU per dose, 11 volunteers with the NIB 6 adsorbate vaccine (340 HA IU/dose) and 16 volunteers with a bivalent vaccine composed of 180 HA IU/dose NIB 6 and 180 HA IU/dose of influenza virus A/Bangkok X-73 (H3N2). The percentage of E-rosette forming cells was decreased in all vaccinated volunteers 14 days after vaccination; later on the values reached normal level of non-vaccinated controls or of subjects before vaccination. The number of E-rosette forming cells was in correlation with the applied virus vaccine dose, i.e. for the 1000 HA IU/dose: 29.95 +/- 11.74%, p less than 0.001 and for the 340 HA IU/dose: 47.75 +/- 11.15%, p less than 0.005; however, after administration of 180 HA IU/dose of NIB 6 in the bivalent vaccine, the value 58.65 +/- 11.5% was not significantly decreased in comparison to non-vaccinated donors. The serum HI antibody titres reached the highest level 14 days after vaccination and remained constant during the next 6 weeks. There was a correlation between decreased E-rosette values and increased serum antibody titres (p less than 0.05). The current study indicates that the number of E-rosette forming cells may serve as a further laboratory criterion for controlling the effect of inactivated influenza virus vaccines on the immune system of man.