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The non-specific and sex-differential effects of vaccines
Open accessAbstract
The textbook view of vaccination is that it functions to induce immune memory of the specific pathogen components of the vaccine, leading to a quantitatively and qualitatively better response if the host is exposed to infection with the same pathogen. However, evidence accumulated over the past few decades increasingly suggests that vaccines can also have non-specific effects on unrelated infections and diseases, with important implications for childhood mortality particularly in low-income settings. Furthermore, many of these non-specific effects, as well as the pathogen-specific effects, of vaccines show differences between the sexes. Here, members of the Optimmunize consortium discuss the evidence for and potential mechanisms of non-specific and sex-differential effects of vaccines, as well as their potential policy implications. Given that the non-specific effects of some vaccines are now being tested for their ability to protect against COVID-19, the authors also comment on the broader implications of these trials.
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“Besides its specific effects, the vaccine has immunity benefits against nontargeted pathogens [2], and in particular against respiratory infections caused by RNA viruses like influenza [3].”
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Cites
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Self-citationCOVID-19: the gendered impacts of the outbreak
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A small jab – a big effect: nonspecific immunomodulation by vaccines
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Self-citationConsidering BCG vaccination to reduce the impact of COVID-19
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Metadata
- Authors
- Aaby, P., Benn, C. S., Flanagan, K. L., Klein, S. L., Kollmann, T. R., Lynn, D. J., & Shann, F.
- Affiliations
- Bandim Health Project (GW)
- University of Southern Denmark (DK)
- University of Tasmania (AU)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- The Kids Research Institute Australia (AU)
- Flinders University (AU)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Aaby, Peter
- Benn, Christine Stabell
- Flanagan, Katie L.
- Klein, Sabra L.
- Kollmann, Tobias R.
- Lynn, David J.
- Shann, Frank
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Immunology
- Published
- 2020-05-27
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 464-470
- ISSN
- 1474-1733 (ISSN-L)
- 1474-1741
- PMC
- PMC7252419
- OpenAlex
- W3032007913
- Cited by
- 142
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 15
- FWCI
- 2.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature reviews. Immunology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- RMIT Research Repository (RMIT University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Wellcome Trust
- Children's Hospital Foundation (U19AI118608-02)
- Royal Children's Hospital Foundation
- Government of South Australia
- Australian Government
- Minderoo Foundation
- Flinders Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- Medical Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U19AI118608)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune responses and vaccinations
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Bacterial Infections and Vaccines
- Social Sciences › Health › Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
- Keywords
- non-specific vaccine effects, sex differences in immune response, measles vaccine, non-specific immunity, child mortality, low-income settings, COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination policy, immunomodulation, sex differences in immunity, vitamin A supplementation, vaccine design, systems vaccinology, health surveillance systems, Guinea-Bissau
- MeSH terms
- Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Humans, Immunity, Innate, Immunologic Memory, Pneumonia, Viral, Sex Characteristics, Vaccination, Vaccines, Coronavirus Infections, Pandemics
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