Aged-related changes in the immune response to influenza infection
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1
Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Germany
Elderly people are more susceptible to viral infections and response poorly to vaccination. In this regard, influenza virus infection is a worldwide health problem, which aggravates in individuals over 65 years of age. Therefore, the understanding of how influenza virus infection activates the immune system is crucial to design prophylactic and immune therapeutic strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality in the elderly.
Nevertheless, the immune response to influenza virus infection is complex and remains largely unknown. Using experimental data for young and aged mice, we propose a mathematical model for influenza infection to reveal the relevant mechanisms which contribute to the impaired immune responses in the elderly. Experimental data revealed different kinetics for viral replication between young and elderly. The aged mice showed 1-2 days delay for the clearance of the virus. Results suggest that a reduced viral replication in epithelial cells as well as the impaired immune mechanisms directed by CD8+T cells may be responsible for the poor immune responses in the elderly. This work provides new insights for vaccination and immune intervention in the elderly.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by BMBF-GerontoSys initiative (GerontoShield).
Keywords:
viral infection,
Influenza A virus,
immunosenescence,
mathematical modeling,
Systems Biology
Conference:
15th International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Milan, Italy, 22 Aug - 27 Aug, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Abstract
Topic:
Host-pathogen interactions
Citation:
Hernandez-Vargas
EA,
Ebensen
T,
Binder
SC,
Guzman
C and
Meyer-Hermann
M
(2013). Aged-related changes in the immune response to influenza infection.
Front. Immunol.
Conference Abstract:
15th International Congress of Immunology (ICI).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fimmu.2013.02.00739
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Received:
17 Jun 2013;
Published Online:
22 Aug 2013.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Esteban A Hernandez-Vargas, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany, esteban@uidaho.edu