Inactivated and live-attenuated seasonal influenza vaccines boost broadly neutralizing antibodies in children

The induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) that target the hemagglutinin stalk domain is a promising strategy for the development of “universal” influenza virus vaccines. bNAbs can be boosted in adults by sequential exposure to heterosubtypic viruses through natural infection or vaccination. However, little is known about if or how bNAbs are induced by vaccination in more immunologically naive children. Here, we describe the impact of repeated seasonal influenza vaccination and vaccine type on induction of bNAbs against group 1 influenza viruses in a pediatric cohort enrolled in randomized controlled trials of seasonal influenza vaccination. Repeated seasonal vaccination results in significant boosting of a durable bNAb response. Boosting of serological bNAb titers is comparable within inactivated and live attenuated (LAIV) vaccinees and declines with age. These data provide insights into vaccine-elicited bNAb induction in children, which have important implications for the design of universal influenza vaccine modalities in this critical population.