Vaccination-induced changes in human B-cell repertoire and pneumococcal IgM and IgA antibody at different ages.

ABSTRACT: It is well known that older people are more susceptible to morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases, particularly from pulmonary diseases such as pneumococcal pneumonia where vaccines do not provide efficient protection as in younger populations. We have previously shown that the B-cell repertoire in the old is reduced and hypothesise that this may contribute to the impaired humoral responses of the elderly. Here, we investigated the repertoire and antibody responses to winter vaccination in two age groups, aged 18-49 and 65-89. We found that the serum IgM and IgA pneumococcal responses were significantly impaired in the older group, with no difference in IgG levels. IGHM spectratype analysis seems to be the most promising in terms of its predictive ability for vaccine responses. S

SUBMITTER: Ademokun A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3264704 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature