Dataset description

The dataset contains predictor variables (baseline immune data, demographics, and transcriptomics) and outcome variables (vaccine responsiveness).

Figure 2. Overview of the baseline measurements included in the dataset.

Predictor variables

These variables comprise demographic characteristics (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity) and pre-vaccination immune features measured before vaccine administration (baseline).

👥 Demographics

• subid1: Unique participant ID.

• sex (🔵/🔴): Biological sex (M or F).

• z_score_continuous: Weight-for-height Z-score (nutritional status).

• year: Year of sample collection (2017 or 2018).

🧬 Baseline Immune Features

• Blood Transcriptomics: Pathway activity captured by Gene Ontology (GO) terms, e.g., blood_baseline_go.0006415 (translation).

• Nasal Transcriptomics: Pathway activity in nasal samples, e.g., nasal_baseline_go.0006968 (defense response to virus).

• Immune Cell Subsets:

  • v0_mdcs: Myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs).

  • v0_pdcs: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs).

  • v0_classical_monocytes, v0_intermediate_monocytes, v0_nonclassical_monocytes: Monocyte subsets.

• T cell Cytokine Production:

  • v0_cd4 : Measure of cytokine production by CD4+ T cells in response to influenza antigens

  • v0_cd8 : Measure of cytokine production by CD8+ T cells in response to influenza antigens

  • Further classified by cytokines measured (ifng, il2) cells and the associated influenza strains (h3, hmnp, hab, bmnp)

    • ie. h1_v0_cd4_ifng, h3_v0_cd4_il2

• Viral and Bacterial Load:

  • v0_resp_virus_positive: Presence of 14 different respiratory viruses (flu, adenoviruses, rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, etc.) detected via RT-PCR at baseline.

  • v0_pneumo_ng_log10copies_ul: Nasal Streptococcus pneumoniae density (log10 copies per µL).

• Nutrition Status:

  • z_score_continuous: Weight-for-height Z-score (nutritional status).

Outcome variables

These variables measure vaccine-induced immune responses across humoral, cellular, and mucosal immunity. Fold change corresponds to the magnitude change between measurements at baseline and measurements 21 days post-vaccination.

🧪 Humoral Responses

• h1_hai_gmt_fold_change: Responsiveness in HAI titers for H1N1 (serum antibody response blocking virus-host interaction).

• h3_hai_gmt_fold_change: Responsiveness in HAI titers for H3N2.

• ph1n1_ha_iga_fold_change: Responsiveness in mucosal IgA binding to H1N1 hemagglutinin.

🧫 Cellular Responses

Fold change response variables for T-cell cytokine levels:

• Classified by cytokines measured (ifng, il2) cells and the associated influenza strains (h1, h3, hmnp, hab, bmnp)

• All CD4+ T cell fold change responses: h1_cd4_ifng_fold_change, h1_cd4_il2_fold_change, h3_cd4_ifng_fold_change, h3_cd4_il2_fold_change, hmnp_cd4_ifng_fold_change, hmnp_cd4_il2_fold_change, hab_cd4_ifng_fold_change, hab_cd4_il2_fold_change, bmnp_cd4_ifng_fold_change, bmnp_cd4_il2_fold_change

• All CD8+ T cell fold change responses: h1_cd8_ifng_fold_change, h1_cd8_il2_fold_change , h3_cd8_ifng_fold_change, h3_cd8_il2_fold_change , hmnp_cd8_ifng_fold_change, hmnp_cd8_il2_fold_change , hab_cd8_ifng_fold_change, hab_cd8_il2_fold_change , bmnp_cd8_ifng_fold_change, bmnp_cd8_il2_fold_change

🧲 IVPM Antibody Binding

nc99_ivpm_h1_fold_change: Responsiveness in antibody binding to HA from A/New Caledonia/20/1999, measured using a high-throughput HA microarray platform which allows to test the presence of antibodies that can bind vaccine-formulated influenza strains and historical and drifted influenza strains not included in the vaccine formulation.

For more information about all variables contained in the Flu Fighters dataset, please see the Variable Legend