Review

Nature Reviews Immunology 8, 512-522 (July 2008) | doi:10.1038/nri2318

Ageing and life-long maintenance of T-cell subsets in the face of latent persistent infections

Janko Nikolich-Z caronugich1  About the author

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A diverse and well-balanced repertoire of T cells is thought to be crucial for the efficacious defence against infection with new or re-emerging pathogens throughout life. In the last third of the mammalian lifespan, the maintenance of a balanced T-cell repertoire becomes highly challenging because of the changes in T-cell production and consumption. In this Review, I question whether latent persistent pathogens might be key factors that drive this imbalance and whether they determine the extent of age-associated immune deficiency.

Author affiliations

  1. Department of Immunobiology and the Arizona Center on Aging, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724, USA
    Email: nikolich@e-mail.arizona.edu

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