Università della Svizzera italiana

Heterosubtypic neutralizing antibodies are produced by individuals immunized with a seasonal influenza vaccine

Corti, Davide ; Suguitan Jr., Amorsolo ; Pinna, Debora ; Silacci, Chiara ; Fernandez-Rodriguez, Blanca M. ; Vanzetta, Fabrizia ; Santos, Celia ; Luke, Catherine J. ; Torres-Velez, Fernando J. ; Temperton, Nigel J. ; Weiss, Robin A. ; Sallusto, Federica ; Subbarao, Kanta ; Lanzavecchia, Antonio

In: The Journal of clinical investigation, 2010, vol. 120, no. 5, p. 1663-1673

The target of neutralizing antibodies that protect against influenza virus infection is the viral protein HA. Genetic and antigenic variation in HA has been used to classify influenza viruses into subtypes (H1–H16). The neutralizing antibody response to influenza virus is thought to be specific for a few antigenically related isolates within a given subtype. However, while heterosubtypic...