Age and Primary Vaccination Background Influence the Plasma Cell Response to Pertussis Booster Vaccination

Abstract

Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Over the past years, the incidence and mortality of pertussis increased significantly. A possible cause is the switch from whole-cell to acellular pertussis vaccines, although other factors may also contribute. Here, we applied high-dimensional flow cytometry to investigate changes in B cells in individuals of different ages and distinct priming backgrounds upon administration of an acellular pertussis booster vaccine. Participants were divided over four age cohorts. We compared longitudinal kinetics within each cohort and between the different cohorts. Changes in the B-cell compartment were correlated to numbers of vaccine-specific B- and plasma cells and serum Ig levels. Expansion and maturation of plasma cells 7 days postvaccination was the most prominent cellular change in all age groups and was most pronounced for more mature IgG1+ plasma cells. Plasma cell responses were stronger in individuals primed with whole-cell vaccine than in individuals primed with acellular vaccine. Moreover, IgG1+ and IgA1+ plasma cell expansion correlated with FHA-, Prn-, or PT- specific serum IgG or IgA levels. Our study indicates plasma cells as a potential early cellular marker of an immune response and contributes to understanding differences in immune responses between age groups and primary vaccination backgrounds.

Evaluation of Whole-Cell and Acellular Pertussis Vaccines in the Context of Long-Term Herd Immunity

“…Whether this re-oriented profile of B cell response is long-lasting or wanes soon after revaccination has not been confirmed. Additionally, high-dimensional flow cytometry was used to characterize the kinetics of B cell subsets circulating in the blood of human subjects of different ages and different priming backgrounds upon administration of an aP booster [ 72 ]. Diks et al showed that the total and IgG1+ plasma cell responses were stronger in subjects primed with wP vaccines than in individuals primed with aP vaccine [ 72 ].…”

“…Additionally, high-dimensional flow cytometry was used to characterize the kinetics of B cell subsets circulating in the blood of human subjects of different ages and different priming backgrounds upon administration of an aP booster [ 72 ]. Diks et al showed that the total and IgG1+ plasma cell responses were stronger in subjects primed with wP vaccines than in individuals primed with aP vaccine [ 72 ]. Consistently with these data, results showing significantly higher IgG4 levels in children who had received an aP vaccine at primary immunization than those in children who had received a wP vaccine were presented at the World Association for Infectious Diseases and Immune Disorders (WAidid) Congress [ 68 ].…”

Characterization of the early cellular immune response induced by HPV vaccines

“…A limitation of this study was the high heterogeneity observed between donors, which is also described by others ( 50 ), together with the low sample size and limited sampling time points, therefore just limited differences between the cohorts were assessed. Moreover, the differences found might be affected by external factors, although all donors were vaccinated, and blood was collected in the same season and time of the day.…”

Memory B Cell Activation Induced by Pertussis Booster Vaccination in Four Age Groups of Three Countries

“…For our analysis, the small number of participants for this comparison limited the power to detect a significant difference. However, significant differences between aP and wP primed individuals have been reported in a subset of the study participants using high dimensional flow-cytometric analyses showing significantly stronger IgG1+ plasma cell responses in wP primed individuals, which was the most prominent subclass at day 7 ( 36 ). Also stronger Th2 responses were reported in aP primed versus wP primed individuals ( 37 ).…”