Serological Responses to Influenza Vaccination during Pregnancy

Abstract

Pregnant women, newborns, and infants under six months old are at the highest risk of developing severe and even fatal influenza. This risk is compounded by the inability to vaccinate infants under six months, highlighting the importance of vertically transferred immunity. This review identifies novel insights that have emerged from recent studies using animal models of pregnancy and vaccination. We also discuss the knowledge obtained using existing clinical trials that have evaluated influenza-specific serological responses in pregnant women and how these responses may impact early life immunity. We delineate the mechanisms involved in transferring specific maternal antibodies and discuss the consequences for early life immunity. Most importantly, we highlight the need for continued research using pregnant animal models and the inclusion of pregnant women, a commonly neglected population, when evaluating novel vaccine platforms to better serve and treat communicable diseases.

Keywords

• influenza vaccine
• pregnancy
• placenta
• passive immunity
• maternal antibody interference
• early life immunity