Pre-existing systemic and nasal antibodies against avian H5 influenza A viruses vary according to childhood imprinting.

Authors

Peta Edler, Kevin J Selva, Ellie Reilly, Malet Aban, Ian G Barr, Jennifer A Juno, Adam K Wheatley, Amy W Chung, Stephen J Kent, David J Price, Marios Koutsakos

Published in

mBio. Pages e0189226. Aug 27, 2026. Epub Aug 27, 2026.

Abstract

Avian influenza A viruses (IAVs) pose a constant pandemic threat, with the recent 2.3.4.4b clade of the H5 subtype causing high pathogenicity and spreading across animal species and geographic locations. Understanding human pre-existing immunity to avian H5 IAV can inform on population susceptibility, a critical aspect of pandemic preparedness. To that end, we analyzed the IAV HA-specific antibodies across individuals born between 1928 and 1999 with different early life exposures to IAV subtypes. Individuals born prior to 1957 had the highest pre-existing serum antibodies to group 1 HA antigens, including the 2.3.4.4b H5 and a group 1 HA stem antigen. These birth year-specific patterns were not reflected in the limited pre-existing serum neutralizing antibodies detectable against a 2.3.4.4b H5 IAV or in H5-specific memory B cell populations. They were, however, evident in pre-existing nasal IgG and IgA titers to H5, which were greater in individuals born prior to 1957. Our findings demonstrate that the immunological biases afforded by early life exposure extend to antibodies detected in the nasal mucosa, the site of IAV replication.IMPORTANCEUnderstating pre-existing immunity to influenza A viruses (IAVs) of pandemic potential is an important aspect of pandemic preparedness. This includes an understanding of the heterogeneity of pre-existing immunity across the population. Here, we demonstrate that pre-existing antibodies to H5 IAV vary according to the year of birth and childhood imprinting. We demonstrate that this is the case for both systemic and nasal antibodies, highlighting the importance of understanding pre-existing mucosal immunity at the sites of influenza virus replication.

PMID:
42657928
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 27 Aug 2026.

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