Recombinant quadrivalent influenza vaccine (RIV) induces robust cell-mediated and HA-specific B cell humoral immune responses among healthcare personnel

Egg-free influenza vaccines, specifically cell culture-based inactivated influenza vaccine (ccIIV) and recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV), represent a significant advancement over traditional egg-based inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV), particularly for populations with extensive vaccination histories. This comprehensive immunological study investigated the comparative efficacy of ccIIV, IIV, and RIV in healthcare personnel (HCP) with repeated vaccination histories, examining both cellular and humoral immune responses through multiple analytical approaches. Our investigation employed a multi-faceted analytical framework, combining serological assessments via hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and microneutralization (MN) assays with detailed cellular immune response analysis. We utilized advanced flow cytometry techniques with recombinant hemagglutinin (HA) probes to evaluate both circulating T follicular helper cells (cTfh) and HA-specific B cells, providing a comprehensive view of vaccine-induced immune responses. The results revealed RIV's superior immunogenicity profile, demonstrating significantly elevated levels of both cTfh and HA-specific B cells compared to ccIIV and IIV. RIV's enhanced performance was particularly evident in its response to influenza A components, with notably higher immunogenicity against both A(H3N2) and A(H1N1) strains. This superiority was reflected in elevated HI titers and markedly increased HA-specific B cell induction. While RIV also demonstrated enhanced HA-specific B cell responses against influenza B components compared to ccIIV, interestingly, HI titers remained comparable across all vaccine groups for these strains. These findings underscore the critical importance of comprehensive immune response evaluation in vaccine assessment. The disparity between cellular and serological responses, particularly for influenza HA-specific B cells, highlights that traditional serological measures alone may not fully capture the breadth and depth of vaccine-induced immunity. This study provides compelling evidence for the inclusion of cellular immunity assessments in vaccine evaluation protocols, offering crucial insights into vaccine immunogenicity that may be missed by conventional serological analysis alone.