Nature Aging: Why are older people more susceptible to infectious diseases than younger people?

UC Irvine researchers have led a new study to determine why older adults are significantly more susceptible to infectious diseases than younger adults, a key societal issue exemplified by the recent COVID-19 pandemic

The findings also pave the way for new potential therapeutic targets to restore the immune systems of older adults, thereby reducing their risk of contracting the disease

"Through this study, we gain new insights into why older adults are more susceptible to infectious diseases, which will allow us to identify potential new treatments

T-cell immunity declines with age, thereby increasing the severity and mortality of infectious diseases

In this study, the researchers found that branched glycans in female T cells increased with age compared to males because of an important age-related sugar metabolite (n-acetamidoamine).

"Our study shows that reversing the elevation of branched glycans restores human and mouse T cell function and reduces the severity of Salmonella infection in aged female mice," Demetriou said

Mkhikian added: "This suggests several potential new therapeutic targets to rejuvenate old T cells, such as alterations in branched glycans or age-induced elevations in serum N-acetylglucosamine and IL-7 signaling

Aging-related immune dysfunction, known as immunosenescence, leads to increased morbidity and mortality from infectious and neoplastic diseases in adults 65 years and older

Previous studies examined transcriptomic changes in a subset of highly purified mature T cells

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Age-associated impairment of T cell immunity is linked to sex-dimorphic elevation of N-glycan branching