title: B-cell responses to vaccination at the extremes of age.
abstract: Infants and the elderly share a high vulnerability to infections and therefore have specific immunization requirements. Inducing potent and sustained B-cell responses is as challenging in infants as it is in older subjects. Several mechanisms to explain the decreased B-cell responses at the extremes of age apply to both infants and the elderly. These include intrinsic B-cell limitations as well as numerous microenvironmental factors in lymphoid organs and the bone marrow. This Review describes the mechanisms that shape B-cell responses at the extremes of age and how they could be taken into account to design more effective immunization strategies for these high-risk age groups.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology-Immunology and Pediatrics, WHO Collaborative Center for Neonatal Vaccinology, Medical Faculty of University of Geneva, Centre Medical Universitaire, Geneva 4, Switzerland. claire-anne.siegrist@unige.ch
authors.forename: Claire-Anne
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Siegrist
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aspinall
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D051379:Mice; D014611:Vaccination; D014612:Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D014612:Vaccines