Phenotypic changes in influenza-specific CD8+ T cells after immunization of children and adults with influenza vaccines

The effect of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) or live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) on the phenotypes of circulating influenza-specific CD8(+) T cells was analyzed by interferon (IFN)-gamma flow cytometry and tetramer staining. In adults, the expression of the T cell differentiation marker CD27 on virus-specific CD8(+) T cells decreased after LAIV but increased after TIV. In children, expression of the cytotoxicity molecule perforin in influenza-specific CD8(+) T cells increased after TIV but not after LAIV. Among children aged 6 months to 4 years who had not been vaccinated previously and who received 2 doses of TIV, CD27 expression decreased after each dose, whereas perforin expression increased after the second dose. These findings indicate that the phenotypic changes of influenza-specific CD8(+) T cells differ depending on the type of vaccine and the age of the vaccinee. These differences are potentially affected by the different routes of vaccination and pathways of antigen presentation for TIV and LAIV.