A study of mice infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus found that female mice had greater T cell and humoral immune responses than male mice, and when immunized with an inactivated H1N1 vaccine, female mice exhibited stronger antibody responses and protection against secondary challenge with H1N1, compared with male mice; antibodies derived from vaccinated female mice were better at protecting naïve mice from secondary challenge, compared with antibodies derived from vaccinated males, and vaccinated female mice exhibited relatively higher expression of toll-like receptor 7 in B cells, which was associated with increased vaccine efficacy.
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Article #18-05268: "Biological sex affects vaccine efficacy and protection against influenza in mice," by Ashley L. Fink, Kyrra Engle, Rebecca L. Ursin, Wan-Yee Tang, and Sabra L. Klein.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sabra L. Klein, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; tel: 410-955-8898; email: sklein2@jhu.edu