NEWS - Reduced-dose flu shot method seems protective

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Reduced-dose flu shot method seems protective

Last Updated: 2004-11-03 17:00:35 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Karla Gale

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young, healthy individuals given a low dose

of influenza vaccine by injection under the skin rather than into a

muscle develop a vigorous antibody response, researchers report.

In light of this year's flu shot shortage, dose-sparing strategies that

could stretch out the available supply should be considered, Dr.

M. Glenn and colleagues at Iomai Corporation in Gaithersburg, land,

point out in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Their article was released early by the Journal, and is due to be

published November 25th.

Up until now, the intra-muscular injection route has been used for flu

vaccines because of " tradition and convenience, " Glenn told Reuters

Health. However, skin is actually a " very attractive target for

immunization " because of its high concentration of immune cells that

pick up and present " foreign " antigens to the rest of the immune system.

In June of this year, Glenn's group randomly assigned 100 subjects

between 18 and 40 years old to get an intra-muscular injection of a

normal dose of flu vaccine or an intra-dermal injection of one-fifth the

normal dose.

After 21 days, there were no significant differences between the two

groups in their antibody responses to two of the three strains of the

flu bug in the vaccine, while the response to the third strain was

actually stronger with the intra-dermal injection.

There were more local reactions associated with the intra-dermal method,

but these were " trivial, " Glenn noted, and just reflect the greater

immune response that can be achieved with this type of inoculation.

Whether public health authorities will recommend a dose-sparing strategy

for this year remains to be seen, he said. But even if it is not used

this year, he suspects that further studies will be completed by next

year's flu season, when the flu vaccine supply may still be limited.

SOURCE: New England Journal of Medicine, November 25, 2004.

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Mayo Clinic in Rochester

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s Hopkins Medicine

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