PREEXISTING IMMUNE MEMORY TO CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATIONS

Studies suggest that smokers have less than optimal immune responses to natural infections and booster vaccines, which may adversely influence the herd effects of vaccines. We hypothesize that smoking attenuates preexisting memory cells and antibodies specific to childhood immunizations. To test this, we first evaluated several in vitro culture conditions that mimic in vivo immune cell responses within human blood samples. This study concluded that among tested conditions, R848/IL-2 and GMCSF/CD40L/IL-2 optimally supported the differentiation of existing antigen-specific memory B cells into immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells. Additionally, GM-CSF optimally supported the differentiation of antigen-specific memory T cells into IFN-γ- producing effector cells. Overall, we have established culture conditions that will allow us for the first time to assess the impact of external factors (i.e., smoking, immunosuppressive drugs, etc.) on preexisting, development, and longevity of immune memory specific to childhood, booster, and new vaccines among various populations.