Aging, immunity, and infection / by Joseph F. Albright and Julia W. Albright.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Albright, Joseph F.

Contributor:

Albright, Julia W.

Series:

Infectious disease (Totowa, N.J.)

Infectious disease

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Developmental immunology.

Older people.

Immunosuppression--Age factors.

Immunosuppression.

Natural immunity.

Infection--Age factors.

Infection.

Immunity.

Aged.

Aging--physiology.

Infections.

Infections--physiopathology.

Medical Subjects:

Immunity.

Aged.

Aging--physiology.

Infections.

Infections--physiopathology.

Physical Description:

x, 241 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Totowa, N.J. : Humana Press, [2003]

Summary:

With a growing world population of the aged in a state of immunological decline, there is an urgent need to develop new methods to delay or, better yet, prevent the loss of immune function. In Aging, Immunity, and Infection, the prominent immunogerontologists, Joseph and Julia Albright, critically review the major features and functions of the immune system that are most likely, or known, to be significantly altered by aging, and offer insightful analyses of the consequences for those aging subjects who must cope with infection. Topics of special interest include the demographics and theories of immunosenescence, the gradual breakdown of resistance to infection in the aged, and the effects of aging on selected mechanisms of both innate and adaptive immunity to infections. The Albrights also suggest how advances may be made in understanding the basic biology of immunosenescence, newer methods of treatment and prevention, and offer an evaluation of such provocative ideas as nutritional intervention and lifespan extension in immunosenescence. Chapter summaries -- along with lists of key research areas and recent advances -- provide a framework for greater insight into major aspects of the problem and its emerging solutions. Informative and forward-looking, Aging, Immunity, and Infection offers geriatricians, infectious disease specialists, and immunologists a state-of-the-art understanding of the deleterious effects of aging on the immune system, even as it provides a basis for research on how best to strengthen immunity in the elderly and reduce their susceptibility to infectious diseases.

Contents:

1 Human Aging: Present and Future 1

Demographics 1

Infectious Diseases of the Aging 5

Limits on Life Expectancy and Future Prospects 7

Theories of Senescence 11

2 Aging and Altered Resistance to Infection 19

Relatively Common Bacterial Infections of Aging Humans 20

Selected Examples of Age-Associated Susceptibility to Bacterial Infections 24

Bacterial Interactions with Mucosal Surfaces 28

Antibiotic Resistance and Bacterial Variation 39

Viral Infections in Aging Humans 42

Protozoan Parasites in Aging Subjects 47

Fungal Infections in Aging Subjects 50

3 Senescence of Natural/Innate Resistance to Infection 61

Pattern Recognizing Receptors of Innate Immunity 62

Phagocytic Cells: Monocytes/Macrophages 72

Microbial Evasion of Phagocytic Destruction 80

Age-Related Changes in Macrophages 81

Phagocytic Cells: Neutrophils 96

Natural Killer/Lymphokine-Activated Killer Cells 105

4 Aging of Adaptive/Acquired Immunity 135

Aging of the Thymus and Thymus-Derived (T) Cells 136

The Functions and Diversity of Peripheral T Cells 145

Summary: Known and Cognizable Effects of Aging T Cells 172

Differentiation, Functions, and Aging of B Cells 183

5 Nutrition, Longevity, and Integrity of the Immune System 213

RCI-Mediated Delay of Immunosenescence 214

How Does RCI Promote Life-Span Extension? 217

Dietary Restriction vs Malnutrition 218.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0896036448

OCLC:

51330351