Protecting the Newborn and Young Infant from Infectious Diseases: Lessons from Immune Ontogeny
Abstract
Infections in the first year of life are common and often severe. The newborn host demonstrates both quantitative and qualitative differences to the adult in nearly all aspects of immunity, which at least partially explain the increased susceptibility to infection. Here we discuss how differences in susceptibility to infection result not out of a state of immaturity, but rather reflect adaptation to the particular demands placed on the immune system in early life. We review the mechanisms underlying host defense in the very young, and discuss how specific developmental demands increase the risk of particular infectious diseases. In this context, we discuss how this plasticity, i.e. the capacity to adapt to demands encountered in early life, also provides the potential to leverage protection of the young against infection and disease through a number of interventions.
Additional Information
© 2017 Elsevier Inc. Available online 21 March 2017.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 75407
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20170327-090427130
- Created
-
2017-03-27Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-15Created from EPrint's last_modified field