Variability in Humoral Immunity to Measles Vaccine: New Developments

Despite the existence of an effective measles vaccine, resurgence in measles cases in the USA and across Europe has occurred, including in individuals vaccinated with two doses of the vaccine. Host genetic factors result in inter-individual variation in measles vaccine-induced antibodies, and play a role in vaccine failure. Studies have identified HLA (human leukocyte antigen) and non-HLA genetic influences that individually or jointly contribute to the observed variability in the humoral response to vaccination among healthy individuals. In this exciting era, new high-dimensional approaches and techniques including vaccinomics, systems biology, GWAS, epitope prediction and sophisticated bioinformatics/statistical algorithms provide powerful tools to investigate immune response mechanisms to the measles vaccine. These might predict, on an individual basis, outcomes of acquired immunity post measles vaccination.

TrendsBetween 2% and 10% of individuals immunized with two measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine doses may not have protective measles antibody titers.Variability in humoral immune responses to measles vaccine is highly heritable (88.5%).SNP associations in non-HLA genes, together with HLA alleles, may explain ∼30% of the inter-individual variability in antibody titers after measles vaccination.Several class I and class II HLA alleles, as well as the HLA-B7 supertype, have been associated with significant differences in antibody titers following two administrated doses of measles-containing vaccine in human subjects.The measles vaccine (MV) receptor (CD46, SLAM), pattern recognition receptor genes (DDX58, TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, TLR7), and antiviral/signaling (TRIM5, VISA) genes have been associated with inter-individual differences in antibody responses after measles vaccination.Cytokine (IL12B, IFNA1, IL4, IL6) and cytokine receptor (IL8RA, IL2RB) genes have also been associated with inter-individual differences in antibody titers after measles vaccination.