Correlation between the antibody response to influenza vaccine and helper T cell subsets in healthy ageing

To investigate the effects of the altered composition of the helper T cell compartment in ageing on the humoral response to influenza vaccine, we investigated correlations between helper T cell subsets and anti-influenza antibody responses in 23 JUNIEUR healthy young and 41 SENIEUR healthy elderly subjects. Naive helper T cell numbers (CD4(+) CD45RA(+)) were negatively correlated with antibody production to two of the four strains investigated in JUNIEURS only. By contrast, memory helper T cell numbers (CD4(+)CD45RO(hi)) were positively correlated with in vivo IgG antibody titres to three of the four vaccine strains. Age-related differences in the composition of the helper T cell compartment, however, did not explain the lower IgG antibody response that was observed to two of the four vaccine strains examined.