Understanding Herd Immunity

C J E Metcalf; M Ferrari; A L Graham; B T Grenfell

doi:10.1016/j.it.2015.10.004

Understanding Herd Immunity

Trends Immunol. 2015 Dec;36(12):753-755. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2015.10.004.

Authors

C J E Metcalf¹, M Ferrari², A L Graham³, B T Grenfell⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Office of Population Research, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. Electronic address: cmetcalf@princeton.edu.
² Centre of Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
³ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
⁴ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Office of Population Research, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.

PMID: 26683689
DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2015.10.004

Abstract

Individual immunity is a powerful force affecting host health and pathogen evolution. Importantly, the effects of individual immunity also scale up to affect pathogen transmission dynamics and the success of vaccination campaigns for entire host populations. Population-scale immunity is often termed 'herd immunity'. Here we outline how individual immunity maps to population outcomes and discuss implications for control of infectious diseases. Particular immunological characteristics may be more or less likely to result in a population level signature of herd immunity; we detail this and also discuss other population-level outcomes that might emerge from individual-level immunity.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Communicable Diseases / immunology
Humans
Immunity, Herd / immunology*