title: Decreased specific antibody synthesis in old adults: decreased potency of antigen-specific B cells with aging.
abstract: The rise in rates of infection in adults over the age of 60 is accompanied by a decreased ability of older adults to make specific immune responses after immunization with a variety of specific antigens (Ag). This investigation delineates age-related changes in Ag-specific humoral immunity, comparing adults over age 60 to young adults aged 18-40, using tetanus toxoid (TT) as an immunologic probe. A culture system which does not require TT booster immunizations of study subjects was used to induce in vitro specific antibody responses. The amount of anti-TT antibody (Ab) produced in serum and in culture was measured by a TT-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The numbers of anti-TT Ab-secreting B cells were measured by a TT-specific ELISA-plaque assay. The TT-specific responses of old subjects were significantly less than that seen for young control subjects in the following measures: (1) serum anti-TT Ab titers (mean +/- S.E. log 2 titer = 3.3 +/- 1.1 vs. 9.5 +/- 1.4, P less than 0.01); (2) anti-TT Ab produced by peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in cultures stimulated with TT (6 +/- 2.1 ng/ml vs. 22 +/- 8.4 ng/ml, P less than 0.01); (3) numbers of anti-TT Ab secreting B cells per million cells cultured (6.7 +/- 3.4 vs. 26.6 +/- 7.6, P less than 0.001) and (4) mean ng Ab secreted per anti-TT Ab-secreting B cell (0.6 +/- 0.4 ng vs. 12.7 +/- 7.8 ng, P less than 0.01). This study shows that both decreased numbers of Ag-specific immune B cells and decreased potency on a per cell basis contribute to the impaired immune responses to immunizations in older adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Milwaukee.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Lum
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Seigneuret
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Giddings
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Goodwin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid