The Xs and Y of immune responses to viral vaccines

The biological differences associated with the sex of an individual are a major source of variation, affecting immune responses to vaccination. Compelling clinical data illustrate that men and women differ in their innate, humoral, and cell-mediated responses to viral vaccines. Sex affects the frequ...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Lancet infectious diseases Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 338 - 349
Main Authors Klein, Sabra L, Jedlicka, Anne, Pekosz, Andrew
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2010
Lancet Publishing Group
Elsevier Limited
Subjects
Animal models
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Disease Models, Animal
Epidemiology. Vaccinations
Female
General aspects
Humans
Immunization
Infectious Disease
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Pregnancy
Public health
Sex Characteristics
Side effects
Vaccines
Viral Vaccines - adverse effects
Viral Vaccines - immunology
Virus Diseases - prevention & control
Human
Prevention
Immunoprophylaxis
Vaccine
Immune response
Sex
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The biological differences associated with the sex of an individual are a major source of variation, affecting immune responses to vaccination. Compelling clinical data illustrate that men and women differ in their innate, humoral, and cell-mediated responses to viral vaccines. Sex affects the frequency and severity of adverse effects of vaccination, including fever, pain, and inflammation. Pregnancy can also substantially alter immune responses to vaccines. Data from clinical trials and animal models of vaccine efficacy lay the groundwork for future studies aimed at identifying the biological mechanisms that underlie sex-specific responses to vaccines, including genetic and hormonal factors. An understanding and appreciation of the effect of sex and pregnancy on immune responses might change the strategies used by public health officials to start efficient vaccination programmes (optimising the timing and dose of the vaccine so that the maximum number of people are immunised), ensure sufficient levels of immune responses, minimise adverse effects, and allow for more efficient protection of populations that are high priority (eg, pregnant women and individuals with comorbid conditions).
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ObjectType-Review-3
content type line 23
Authors’ Contributions: SLK conceived of the idea for this review, drafted the manuscript, and conducted the microarray analyses for the primary data presented; AJ conducted the microarray analyses for the primary data presented, assisted with drafting tables and figures, and edited the manuscript; AP participated in the outline of this paper, assisted with drafting the manuscript, tables, and figures, and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approve the final manuscript
ISSN:1473-3099
1474-4457
1474-4457
DOI:10.1016/S1473-3099(10)70049-9