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Editorial
. 2011 Aug;121(8):2981-3.
doi: 10.1172/JCI58406. Epub 2011 Jul 25.

Quantity, not quality, of antibody response decreased in the elderly

Bonnie B Blomberg, Daniela Frasca
Editorial

Quantity, not quality, of antibody response decreased in the elderly

Bonnie B Blomberg et al. J Clin Invest. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

The burden of disease during seasonal influenza epidemics is felt most keenly among the very young and the elderly. Although vaccination effectively protects children and young adults against infection, it has limited efficacy in elderly individuals. This has been linked to a reduced ability to induce a robust serum antibody response. In this issue of the JCI, Sasaki et al. identify some of the cellular and molecular deficits that underlie the reduced serum antibody response induced by influenza vaccination in elderly individuals. Importantly, they show that it is the quantity of the response, and not its quality, that needs to be improved if we are to enhance the success of influenza vaccination in this vulnerable population.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Mechanistic explanation for the inferior antibody response to influenza vaccination in the elderly.
The efficacy of influenza vaccination wanes with age. This is linked to a reduced ability to induce a robust serum antibody response. However, whether it is due to decreases in the quantity and/or the quality of the antibodies produced is not clear. In this issue of the JCI, Sasaki et al. answer this question (18), showing that the reduced serum antibody response generated by the elderly after vaccination with inactivated seasonal influenza vaccine is a result of a decrease in the number of responding plasmablasts and hence a decrease in the concentration of PPAbs, rather than a result of a decrease in the quality of the response. Importantly, the amount of antibody secreted was about the same for individual plasmablasts isolated from (A) young and (B) elderly individuals.
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Comment on

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