Lack of Antibody Diversity May Make Seniors More Susceptible to the Flu

A study published in Cell Host & Microbe notes as people age, their B cells and the antibodies they secrete acquire fewer mutations that would offer flexible protection against the flu virus, reports Infection Control Today . "The major implication is that when a newly circulating influenza virus infects seniors, they don't have quite the right tool to fight it because their antibodies are not as protective," says the University of Chicago's Patrick Wilson. "Our findings could be used by the vaccine community to make better vaccines and improve protection of the senior population." B cells from seniors basically have a rigid B-cell repertoire and are absent recent adaptations that would allow the evolution of B cells to divergent flu strains. In addition, antibodies from seniors are less potent and less capable of shielding against the virus, because they only target conserved proteins and structures of the virus, with fewer mutations that would enable effective responses against evolving viral strains. Antibodies from younger persons are better able to identify recently mutated flu virus molecules. Still, the researchers maintained that vaccination remains the best way to protect seniors from flu infection.