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Why older people get less protection from flu vaccines

Immune players called B cells are partly to blame for the decline in vaccine efficacy for people over 65.
Coloured scanning electron microscope of a human B-lymphocyte

The B cells (pictured) of older people mount a less robust immune response to influenza vaccination. Credit: Natl Inst. Health/SPL

As people age, their immune response to influenza vaccinations weakens, raising their risk of severe disease. This drop in protection stems, in part, from a defective response to vaccination by immune players called B cells, a new study shows1.

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Nature 611, 428 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-03589-5

References

  1. Burton, A. R. et al. Cell Rep. 41, 111613 (2022).

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