It is well established that older adults are more susceptible to infection and their immune systems less capable of generating a strong immune response. Now, a new University of Arizona Health Sciences-led paper explains why, which could lead to potential interventions.

The findings, led by Janko Nikolich-Žugich, MD, Ph.D., head of the UArizona College of Medicine—Tucson's Department of Immunobiology and co-director of the Arizona Center on Aging suggest that lymph nodes, which are critical for maintaining and revving up the immune response during infection, age at different rates. Lymph nodes closer to the skin deteriorate two to three times more quickly than those deeper in the body.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, helps explain the immune system's response to skin infections and even skin cancers. This also is likely the reason for a weaker immune response to vaccinations delivered through the skin in older adults.

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