Comment on Systemic dysregulation and molecular insights into poor influenza vaccine response in the aging population

Recommendable! 

It appears how well an older individual responds to a flu vaccination can be determined before the flue shot.

From the abstract:

"Vaccination-induced protection against influenza is greatly diminished and increasingly heterogeneous with age. We investigated longitudinally (up to five time points) a cohort of 234 vaccinated >65-year-old vaccinees with adjuvanted vaccine FluAd across two independent seasons. System-level analyses of multiomics datasets measuring six modalities and serological data revealed that poor responders lacked time-dependent changes in response to vaccination as observed in responders, suggestive of systemic dysregulation in poor responders. Multiomics integration revealed key molecules and their likely role in vaccination response. High prevaccination plasma interleukin-15 (IL-15) concentrations negatively associated with antibody production, further supported by experimental validation in mice revealing an IL-15–driven natural killer cell axis explaining the suppressive role in vaccine-induced antibody production as observed in poor responders. We propose a subset of long-chain fatty acids as modulators of persistent inflammation in poor responders. Our findings provide a potential link between low-grade chronic inflammation and poor vaccination response and open avenues for possible pharmacological interventions to enhance vaccine responses."

Systemic dysregulation and molecular insights into poor influenza vaccine response in the aging population | Science Advances (open access)

Credits: Grippeimpfung bei älteren Menschen: Lässt sich die Wirksamkeit steigern? - ingenieur.de

Grippeimpfung bei älteren Menschen über 60: Lässt sich die Wirksamkeit steigern?

Empfehlenswert! Die Antwort ist Ja!

"... In einer aktuellen Studie konnten Forschende nun wichtige Schlüsselmoleküle identifizieren, die Aufschluss über die Immunantwort bei älteren Menschen geben. Sie könnten dabei helfen, die Wirksamkeit von Impfungen zu erhöhen. ...

Um die Immunantwort zu verbessern, gibt es für Menschen ab 60 bzw. 65 Jahren spezielle Hochdosis-Grippeimpfstoffe. ... Doch auch diese Impfstoffe wirken nicht bei allen gleich gut. ...

... Besonders auffällig war, dass Non-Responder eine erhöhte Zahl an natürlichen Killerzellen im Blut hatten, die auf chronische Entzündungen hindeuten. ...

ob sich schon vor der Impfung vorhersagen lässt, wie gut die Immunantwort ausfallen wird. Hierbei zeigte sich, dass Non-Responder bereits vor der Impfung höhere Werte von Interleukin-15 aufwiesen. Dieser Botenstoff steht in Zusammenhang mit chronischen Entzündungsprozessen, die oft bei älteren Menschen auftreten. ..."

Grippeimpfung bei älteren Menschen: Lässt sich die Wirksamkeit steigern? - ingenieur.de "Die Grippeimpfung ist bei älteren Menschen oft weniger wirksam. Warum das so ist, wurde nun herausgefunden und könnte dabei helfen, die Wirksamkeit zu erhöhen."

Systemic dysregulation and molecular insights into poor influenza vaccine response in the aging population (open access)

Who cares about the deadly flu season every year when you have a mass panic and hysteria fueled by politicians and the media! Blissful ignorance every year!

Notice what wide ranges of the estimates the CDC provides! Because flu infections are neglected every year! Oh, it's just the flu, not much to worry about, comes every year!

If you take the mid-points of these estimates below you have:

1. 47 million infected Americans with flu or almost every 7 American
2. 575 thousand hospitalizations
3. 43 thousand deaths

2019-2020 U.S. Flu Season: Preliminary Burden Estimates

CDC estimates* that, from October 1, 2019, through April 4, 2020, there have been:

39,000,000 – 56,000,000
flu illnesses

18,000,000 – 26,000,000
flu medical visits

410,000 – 740,000
flu hospitalizations

24,000 – 62,000
flu deaths

*Because influenza surveillance does not capture all cases of flu that occur in the U.S., CDC provides these estimated ranges to better reflect the larger burden of influenza. These estimates are calculated based on CDC’s weekly influenza surveillance data and are preliminary.

**Influenza testing across the United States may be higher than normal at this time of year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These estimates may partly reflect increases in testing in recent weeks and may be adjusted downward once the season is complete and final data for the 2019/20 season are available.

2019-2020 U.S. Flu Season: Preliminary Burden Estimates | CDC: Links to key resources on the burden of influenza - CDC