J Clin Invest. 2011 Aug;121(8):2981-3. doi: 10.1172/JCI58406. Epub 2011 Jul 25.
The burden of disease during seasonal influenza epidemics is felt most keenly among the very young and the elderly. Although vaccination effectively protects children and young adults against infection, it has limited efficacy in elderly individuals. This has been linked to a reduced ability to induce a robust serum antibody response. In this issue of the JCI, Sasaki et al. identify some of the cellular and molecular deficits that underlie the reduced serum antibody response induced by influenza vaccination in elderly individuals. Importantly, they show that it is the quantity of the response, and not its quality, that needs to be improved if we are to enhance the success of influenza vaccination in this vulnerable population.
在季节性流感流行期间,疾病负担在幼儿和老年人中感受最为强烈。尽管疫苗接种可以有效地保护儿童和年轻人免受感染,但它对老年人的效果有限。这与诱导强烈的血清抗体反应的能力降低有关。在本期 JCI 中,Sasaki 等人确定了一些细胞和分子缺陷,这些缺陷是导致老年人接种流感疫苗后血清抗体反应减弱的原因。重要的是,他们表明,如果我们要提高这一脆弱人群中流感疫苗接种的成功率,就需要改善反应的数量,而不是其质量。