Impact of Influenza B Lineage-Level Mismatch Between Trivalent Seasonal Influenza Vaccines and Circulating Viruses, 1999–2012
Open Access
- 19 August 2014
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Clinical Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 59 (11), 1519-1524
- https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciu664
Abstract
Background. Influenza B virus strains in trivalent influenza vaccines are frequently mismatched to the circulating B strains, but the population-level impact of such mismatches is unknown. We assessed the impact of vaccine mismatch on the epidemiology of influenza B during 12 recent seasonal outbreaks of influenza in Finland. Methods. We analyzed all available nationwide data on virologically confirmed influenza infections in all age groups in Finland between 1 July 1999 and 30 June 2012, with the exclusion of the pandemic season of 2009–2010. We derived data on influenza infections and the circulation of different lineages of B viruses during each season from the Infectious Diseases Register and the National Influenza Center, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland. Results. A total of 34 788 cases of influenza were recorded. Influenza A accounted for 74.0% and influenza B for 26.0% of all typed viruses. Throughout the 12 seasons, we estimated that 41.7% (3750 of 8993) of all influenza B infections were caused by viruses representing the other genetic lineage than the one in the vaccine. Altogether, opposite-lineage influenza B viruses accounted for 10.8% of all influenza infections in the population, the proportion being highest (16.8%) in children aged 10–14 years and lowest (2.6%) in persons aged ≥70 years. Conclusions. The population-level impact of lineage-level mismatch between the vaccine and circulating strains of influenza B viruses is substantial, especially among children and adolescents. The results provide strong support for the inclusion of both influenza B lineages in seasonal influenza vaccines.Keywords
This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Burden of Influenza B: A Structured Literature ReviewAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2013
- Fatal Influenza B Infections: Time to Reexamine Influenza Research PrioritiesThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2012
- Myocardial Injury and Bacterial Pneumonia Contribute to the Pathogenesis of Fatal Influenza B Virus InfectionThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2012
- The rationale for quadrivalent influenza vaccinesHuman Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 2012
- Effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccine in children aged 9 months to 3 years: an observational cohort studyThe Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2010
- The need for quadrivalent vaccine against seasonal influenzaVaccine, 2010
- Efficacy of live attenuated influenza vaccine in children against influenza B viruses by lineage and antigenic similarityVaccine, 2010
- Challenge of conducting a placebo-controlled randomized efficacy study for influenza vaccine in a season with low attack rate and a mismatched vaccine B strain: a concrete exampleBMC Infectious Diseases, 2009
- Component‐Specific Effectiveness of Trivalent Influenza Vaccine as Monitored through a Sentinel Surveillance Network in Canada, 2006–2007The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2009
- Cocirculation of two distinct evolutionary lineages of influenza type B virus since 1983Virology, 1990