By Joe Montgomery
Division of Communications and Maketing
MANHATTAN — Newly published research at Kansas State University has observed a notable difference in influenza vaccine responses between male and female mice with obesity. While the research has not yet been evaluated in humans, early results in animals suggest that males with obesity derive less protective benefit from the influenza vaccine than females with obesity.
"Obesity is increasing globally and is known to reduce the effectiveness of influenza and other vaccines," said Santosh Dhakal, assistant professor of infectious diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine. "However, little is known about whether this reduction affects males and females in the same way."
Using a research model of obese and non-obese control animals, Dhakal's team investigated sex differences in influenza vaccine-induced immunity and protection. Males and females, with or without obesity, received two doses of an inactivated influenza vaccine at three weeks apart.The results showed that females, whether they had obesity or not, generated higher levels of protective antibodies and experienced milder disease following virus challenge.Dhakal said vaccinated males with obesity produced the weakest antibody responses. When exposed to the virus, they developed more severe disease and were unable to clear the virus from the lungs effectively.