title: Immune Dysfunction in Aged Horses.
abstract: The aging process in people is associated with changes in adaptive and innate immune responses. Similar changes occur in aged horses. Age-related progressive impairment in the ability to respond to pathogen challenge and an increased inflammatory reactivity may predispose geriatric horses to many diseases of old age. Specific recommendations for immune modification of older horses, including an age-appropriate vaccination schedule, are not currently available. In addition, the effect of old age on risk of infectious disease is poorly documented. More work is needed to better understand the interactions of age on immunity, vaccine response, and disease risk in horses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, Center of Veterinary Health Sciences, 264 McElroy Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA. Electronic address: diannem@okstate.edu.
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McFarlane
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006736:Horses / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D014730:Veterinary Medicine
keywords: Adaptive immunity; Geriatric horse; Immunosenescence; Proinflammatory