Vaccine-induced innate immunity and its role in viral infections

Infections, as well as vaccination, induce epigenetic changes in the innate immune system, and this might lead to long-lasting memory innate immune response, also known as “trained immunity.” Vaccine-induced innate immune responses play an important role in the protection against pathogens. Although the BCG vaccine was initially developed to combat Mycobacterium tuberculosis, it has also been shown to provide protection against non-related infections. Unique BCG-induced innate immunity and its trained memory are considered independent of adaptive immunity. The role of BCG-induced innate immunity has been extensively studied recently due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In countries where the rate of BCG vaccination is high such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Nepal, epidemiological data have indicated that the mortality rate due to COVID-19 infection was relatively low. HIV preclinical vaccination in macaques also generates monocyte-trained immunity, NKp44 ILC responses, neutrophil responses, and MAIT cell responses, suggesting that vaccination can induce innate or memory-like innate immune responses. Despite studies increasingly showing that vaccines induce robust innate immune responses against the targeted pathogens, there is a paucity of understanding in the nature and mechanisms by which innate immune responses are enhanced after primary and/or secondary vaccinations. Thus, extensive study to better understand the role of vaccines to generate innate or memory innate responses, which might cross-react with unrelated pathogens, can allow us to better prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.

This Research Topic aims to explore immunological and/or genetic data to further our understanding of vaccine-induced innate responses. We encourage the submission of research focusing on innate immunity in humans and animals. We welcome the submission of original research, review, and mini-review articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following sub-topics:
• Evaluation of innate immune responses in vaccinated and/or infected subjects and their correlation with disease outcome in human and/or animal models.
• Genetic/epigenetic/immunologic analysis to show the role of innate and/or memory innate immunity against viral infections.
• Evaluation of adjuvants’ role in the induction of vaccine-mediated protective innate immune response.