What is the relationship between gut bacteria and flu vaccine response?

  Recently, researchers have discovered that treating mice with antibiotics can eliminate most intestinal bacteria and increase antibody responses during seasonal influenza vaccination under sterile conditions. Research results indicate that vaccination before or during antibiotic treatment can weaken the antibody response of certain vaccines in humans. The results may also help explain why the immunity caused by specific vaccines has changed globally.

  This research was published in the journal Immunology. Dr. Bali Pulendran and colleagues have demonstrated that Enterobacter has a strong immune response to seasonal influenza and inactivated polio vaccine. The immune stimulating substances (adjuvants) contained in the vaccine antibody response are not affected by the lack of intestinal bacteria.

  For example, bacteria are not an important part of the DTP vaccine. "Our results show that gut microbes have a strong effect on human immune vaccines, and can even reduce vaccine immunity," Pulendran said. The motivation for this research is to analyze previous studies on human immune response to influenza vaccines. The institute pioneered the use of "systematic vaccine science" technology. He and his colleagues observed the expression of the gene encoding human influenza vaccine TLR5, and a few days later, vaccination caused a strong antibody response.

  TLR5 encodes a protein, prompting immune cells to detect cellular flagellin. The researchers found that the ability of immune cells to detect flagellin seems to be an important part of the vaccine response. Mice do not have TLR5, but they can be transplanted with bacteria to reduce the immune response to influenza vaccine, similar to antibiotic treatment and sterile mice. Oral modified antibiotics can treat mice with flagellin bacteria, but not mice lacking flagellin mutant bacteria, and restore reduced antibody responses. These results indicate that Enterobacter plays an important role in improving the immunity of vaccination and increasing the possibility that microorganisms can be used to modulate vaccine efficacy. "Prenderland said. Prenderland said: "The key question is how much impact this has on human defense and immunity. "He said that his team is planning to study humans to solve this problem.