IMR Press / FBL / Volume 28 / Issue 9 / DOI: 10.31083/j.fbl2809225
Open Access Review
Impact of Immunosenescence on Viral Infections with an Emphasis on COVID-19
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1 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
2 IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
3 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy
4 Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
*Correspondence: giuseppe.murdaca@unige.it (Giuseppe Murdaca)
These authors contributed equally.
§These authors contributed equally.
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2023, 28(9), 225; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbl2809225
Submitted: 5 July 2023 | Revised: 28 August 2023 | Accepted: 8 September 2023 | Published: 26 September 2023
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

During aging, the immune system (IS) undergoes remarkable changes known as immunosenescence, a multifactorial and dynamic phenomenon that affects both natural and acquired immunity and plays an important role in most chronic diseases in older people. Among the determinants of immunosenescence, we find a low-grade sterile chronic inflammation, known as “inflamm-aging”. This condition of chronic inflammation causes a progressive reduction in the ability to trigger antibody and cellular responses effective against infections and vaccinations. In this review, we wanted to explore the role of immunosenescence and inflamm-aging as determinants of the immunological aging process and predisposing viral infections phenomena, with a particular reference to cytomegalovirus (CMV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), influenza virus (IFV) diseases and SARS-CoV2. IS aging is also reflected in a reduction in the antibody response to vaccinations, hence there is a need to expand trials to elderly patients, in order to identify the most appropriate methods for developing effective and safe vaccination and preventive strategies.

Keywords
immunosenescence
inflamm-aging
CMV
VZV
IFV
COVID-19
vaccine immunogenicity
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