Immunometabolism and innate immunity in the context of immunological maturation and respiratory pathogens in young children

Abstract

Although children growing from birth into young adulthood undergo rapid physiological maturation, their immune systems are also undergoing significant changes that may affect how they respond to microbes and especially respiratory pathogens. A key component of control over microbes is the innate immune system that sustains pathogen suppression/elimination until the adaptive immune system can instigate clearance. Here, this review will summarize key characteristics of the developing innate immune system of neonates, infants, and toddlers. In addition, a brief summary of how immunometabolism affects the innate immune system, and its ramifications on the developing innate immune cells will also be covered. Given the key differences between innate immunity of young children and older children/adults and the generally higher levels of morbidity associated with respiratory viral infections of the former, not many studies have examined how metabolic or mitochondrial differences may be influencing their generally limited responses. Further studies in immunometabolism in the young could elucidate keys mechanisms causing the typical diminished responses observed in this population.

Recurrent bacterial infections, but not fungal infections, characterise patients with ELANE‐related neutropenia: a French Severe Chronic Neutropenia Registry study

“…Young age, specifically <1 year, is associated with a high risk of severe infections and certainly warrants specific close clinical monitoring. This very precocious, high infection risk suggests that the maturation of adaptive B-cell immunity 26 and T-cell and innate immunities 27,28 later in life can partially compensate for the ELANE dysfunction and neutropenia.…”

Immunomodulatory properties of plant polyphenols shown in an <i>in vitro</i> experimental model

“…Широкий диапазон референтного интервала также обусловлен существенной вариабельностью иммунологических показателей. Рядом исследователей установлена связь фагоцитоза с возрастными и гендерными особенностями индивидуумов, а другими исследователями данная причинно-следственная зависимость не выявлена [16]. Однако следует отметить, что у взрослых вторичный адаптивный иммунный ответ модифицирует ответную реакцию на антиген, которая у детей компартментами врожденного иммунного ответа может формироваться в виде воспаления как альтерация.…”

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 22F infection in respiratory syncytial virus infected neonatal lambs enhances morbidity

“…IL-17 however is very important for anti-Spn control [62,63] and a lack of the cytokine has been documented in infants with recurrent acute otitis media with Spn [64]. However, it is also known that very young children may make very little IL-17 as compared to older children and adults suggesting that immunological maturation in neonatal lambs may strongly affect their ability to respond to infection [57,65]. While we cannot comment on contributions of IL-17 mediated protection or lack of in neonates by our study design, we can at least say that a higher amount of Il-17 is likely not contributing to the higher lesions in the dually infected lambs.…”