Viruses (Jul 2024)

Occurrence of Circulating Antibodies against the Hemagglutinins of Influenza Viruses in the 2022/2023 Epidemic Season in Poland

  • Katarzyna Kondratiuk,
  • Anna Poznańska,
  • Karol Szymański,
  • Emilia Czajkowska,
  • Bartosz Mańkowski,
  • Lidia B. Brydak

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/v16071105
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 7
p. 1105

Abstract

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The aim of this study was to determine the level of anti-hemagglutinin antibodies in blood sera collected from patients during the 2022/2023 epidemic season in Poland. A total of 700 sera samples from patients across the country were tested. The samples were divided into seven groups according to the age of the patients, with 100 samples from each age group. The hemagglutination inhibition test (OZHA) was used to determine the level of anti-hemagglutinin antibodies. The test results have confirmed the presence of anti-hemagglutinin antibodies for antigens A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1)pdm09, A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2), B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Yamagata lineage) and B/ Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Victoria lineage) present in the influenza vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 2022/2023 epidemic season. The highest geometric mean antibody titres (GMT) and protection rate values (%) were recorded for hemagglutinin A/H3N2. In Poland, in the 2022/2023 epidemic season, the percentage of the population vaccinated against influenza was 5.7%. Therefore, the test results can be interpreted as the response of the immune system in patients who have been previously infected with an influenza virus.

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