title: Immunosenescence and influenza vaccine efficacy.
abstract: A number of protective immune functions decline with age along with physiological and anatomical changes, contributing to the increased susceptibility of older adults to infectious diseases and suboptimal protective immune responses to vaccination. Influenza vaccination is the most cost-effective strategy to prevent complications from influenza viral infections; however, the immunogenicity and effectiveness of currently licensed vaccines in the United States is about 30-50% in preventing complications arising from influenza and preventing death from all causes during winter months in older adults. Hence, it is crucial to understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to immune dysfunction as a function of age so that appropriate strategies can be developed to enhance the disease resistance and immunogenicity of preventive vaccines, including influenza vaccines, for the older adult population.
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. ssambhara@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Suryaprakash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sambhara
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: McElhaney
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines