Alum-adjuvanted H5N1 whole virion inactivated vaccine (WIV) induced IgG1 and IgG4 antibody responses in young children

IgG subclass antibody responses are not fully understood. Alum-adjuvanted H5N1whole virion inactivated vaccine (WIV), a genetically reassortant vaccine seed strain originating from H5N1/A/Vietnam/1194/2004 and PR-8, induced significantly stronger antibody responses in neutralizing antibodies in children. In this report, IgG subclass antibody responses were investigated, and most serum samples were positive for IgG1 antibody before immunization. A significant response (more than 4-fold increase) of IgG1 antibody was observed in 67/193 (34.7%) and that of gG4 antibodies in 42/193(21.8%). Children <4 years of age showed a significant increase in IgG subclass antibodies but those ≥4 years showed lower responses. Alum- adjuvanted H5N1WIV induced an efficient immune response in young children especially <4 years.