Detailed description:
Objectives
To determine increased varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-specific cellular immune responses in nursing home residents after 4 months of standard high-dose vitamin D3 administration up to 3 weeks after prevaccination.
Objective 1 To measure the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and increased VZV-specific cellular immune responses up to 3 weeks after vaccination in the same participants. vaccination.
Define phenotypic and functional VZV-specific T cell responses to Zostavax with higher levels of memory, effector, Th1/Th2, and host receptor-bearing T cells compared with low responders by ELISPOT.
Assumptions
Higher serum 25(OH)D levels at baseline will be associated with higher levels of VZV-specific cellular immunity (cross-sectional).
Higher serum 25(OH)D levels, independent of vitamin D dose, were associated with increased VZV-specific cellular immune responses to Zostavax as measured by the interferon (IFN)-γ ELISPOT assay.
Compared with standard doses, higher doses of vitamin D3 enhance VZV-specific cellular immune responses to vaccination, independent of baseline serum 25(OH)D levels.