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Immunological senescence refers to the diminishing effectiveness of the immune system with age. Although impairment of T- and B-cell activity has been well-described, the impact of aging on neutrophil function has been underappreciated. Now, U.K. investigators have assessed the effect of age on the migration of neutrophils toward chemotactic targets in 70 healthy individuals aged 21 to 89 years.
Neutrophils from older persons were found to be less chemotactic and to migrate with less accuracy than neutrophils from younger persons, whether the target was a chemokine (CXCL8) or sputum from patients with Streptococcus pneumoniae–associated pneumonia. Chemotaxis declined gradually after age 30, but was significantly reduced after age 60 (mean di…