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. 2022 Apr 29;10(5):699.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines10050699.

A Prospective Study Investigating the Impact of Obesity on the Immune Response to the Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine in Children and Adolescents

Michelle Clarke  1   2 , Suja M Mathew  1   2 , Lynne C Giles  3 , Alexia S Pena  1   2 , Ian G Barr  4 , Peter C Richmond  5   6 , Helen S Marshall  1   2
Affiliations

A Prospective Study Investigating the Impact of Obesity on the Immune Response to the Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine in Children and Adolescents

Michelle Clarke et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Obesity can increase the severity of influenza infection. Data are limited regarding immune responses to influenza vaccination in obese children. We aimed to investigate the impact of obesity on quadrivalent influenza vaccine responses in children. Children with obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 95th percentile for age and gender) and children without obesity (BMI < 95th percentile) were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were collected before, 1, and 6 months after influenza vaccination, to measure antibody responses by haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. Vaccine immunogenicity outcomes were compared between children with and without obesity. Forty-four children (mean age 13.3 ± 2.1 years, 18 males and 14 with obesity) completed the 6-month study. More than 90% of the participants with and without obesity had seroprotective antibody titres (HI ≥ 40) at both 1 and 6 months following vaccination for each of the four influenza strains (A/H3N2, A/H1N1, B/(Victoria) and B/(Yamagata)). Influenza-specific geometric mean titres at baseline, 1, and 6 months post-vaccination were similar between children with and without obesity for all influenza vaccine strains. Children with and without obesity have robust, sustained antibody responses over 6 months to the quadrivalent influenza vaccine.

Keywords: adolescents; children; influenza; obesity; vaccination.

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Conflict of interest statement

The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. M. Clarke, H.S. Marshall, P.C. Richmond, L.C. Giles and S.M. Mathew are investigators on clinical vaccine trials and their institutions receive research grants for investigator-led vaccine research/sponsored clinical vaccine trials from pharmaceutical industry companies including GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi, Merck. None of the authors received any personal payments from the Industry. Ian Barr has shares in an influenza vaccine producing company. The WHO CCRRI receives funds from Seqirus Limited and from the IFPMA for its influenza surveillance activities.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of participants and study design.
Figure 2
Figure 2
GMT (95% CI) by obesity category and time-point for each strain included in the quadrivalent influenza vaccine.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage of participants with seroprotection (≥40) HI titres at (a) 1 month and (b) 6 months post-influenza vaccination by recent previous influenza vaccination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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