Abstrato

Early-life innate immunity to respiratory infection.

Mohammed Rais

Early life is a time when infants are especially vulnerable to respiratory infections, and their symptoms are much more severe than in adults. Most aspects of the newborn immune system are thought to be defective; innate responses are weak, antigen-presenting cells have low immunostimulatory activity, and adaptive lymphocyte responses are limited, all of which contribute to poor immunological memory and suboptimal vaccine responses. The ability to distinguish between harmless and potentially dangerous antigens is critical for mucosal surfaces such as the lung, which are constantly exposed to airborne antigen and potential pathogenic invasion, to prevent inflammation that could lead to loss of gaseous exchange and damage to developing lung tissue.