Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Science. 2019 Sep 20;365(6459):1296-1298. doi: 10.1126/science.aaw5822.
Our understanding of the deterioration in immune function in old age-immunosenescence-derives principally from studies of modern human populations and laboratory animals. The generality and significance of this process for systems experiencing complex, natural infections and environmental challenges are unknown. Here, we show that late-life declines in an important immune marker of resistance to helminth parasites in wild Soay sheep predict overwinter mortality. We found senescence in circulating antibody levels against a highly prevalent nematode worm, which was associated with reduced adult survival probability, independent of changes in body weight. These findings establish a role for immunosenescence in the ecology and evolution of natural populations.
我们对老年时期免疫功能恶化（免疫衰老）的理解主要来源于现代人类群体和实验动物的研究。对于经历复杂的自然感染和环境挑战的系统，这一过程的普遍性和意义尚不清楚。在这里，我们表明，野生斯澳羊（Soay sheep）一种重要的免疫标志物在老年时期的下降预示着它们在冬季的死亡率。我们发现，针对一种普遍存在的线虫蠕虫的循环抗体水平随衰老而下降，这与成年个体存活率的降低有关，而与体重变化无关。这些发现为免疫衰老在自然种群的生态学和进化中的作用提供了依据。
