Does Ethnicity Drive Response to Flu Vax? Study shows variation in key infection-fighting gene

Ethnicity seemed to influence genetic variation in a key immune system gene, which generates antibodies that can recognize and ward off the influenza A virus, researchers reported. The findings, which link ethnic background to influenza vaccine response, could have a significant impact on efforts to develop a universal flu vaccine that would provide protection against a wide variety of flu strains, according to Wayne Marasco, MD, PhD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues. The study is the first to show genetic variation in the key infection-fighting IGHV1-69 gene associated with the ethnicity of vaccine recipients, they wrote in Scientific Reports. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Vaccines/56231?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-18&eun=g721819d0r