Whilst the exact mechanisms underlying immunosenescence are still unclear, several studies have identified intrinsic defects within many of the cells of the immune system. Despite the stromal niche playing a critical role in the development, maintenance and activation of immune cells the role of the microenvironment in immunosenescence remains an overlook area, but is increasingly becoming recognised as playing an important role in the decline of immune function in the aged.

The elderly are a growing demographic at high risk for respiratory infections due to innate immune dysfunction in the lungs. In this review, we examine research on age-related changes in the response of the innate immune system to pulmonary infections.

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most important causative agent of viral encephalitis worldwide and is an important public health concern in the USA due to its high prevalence, severe disease, and the absence of effective treatments. Individual host factors play a role in susceptibility to WNV infection, but age is the most well-defined risk factor for susceptibility to severe disease. Understanding the specific immune parameters and mechanisms that influence susceptibility to symptomatic WNV may lead to a better understanding of increased susceptibility in elderly individuals.

Alterations to immune cell signaling may be a prominent cause of malfunctioning immunity with aging. Emerging attempts to reverse immunosenescence have recently targeted the signaling pathways in various different cell types of the immune system. Here, we review and discuss alterations in the signaling pathways of immune cells with aging and consider current targets and means to modulate altered functions.

HIV⁺ patients can present neurocognitive disorders, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, bone abnormalities, and non-HIV associated cancers. Chronic inflammation and immune activation that are typically observed in elderly people and were defined “inflammaging” can be present in HIV⁺ patients, who experience a sort of premature aging, which affects heavily the quality of life. Main factors have been identified beside the traditional behavioral risk factors, that are the toxicity of antiretroviral treatments and chronic inflammation, leading to a functional decline and a vulnerability to injury or pathologies.

This is a comprehensive review of age effects on responses to cancer immunotherapy.

T cell responses to vaccinations are a staged process starting with activation of antigen-specific T cells followed by expansion and differentiation into short-lived effector and memory precursor cells and then attrition with memory precursor cells surviving as long-lived memory T cells. Each of these stages is regulated by T cell-extrinsic as well as T cell-intrinsic mechanisms, several of which have been shown to be affected by immune aging and therefore represent promising targets for immune intervention to enhance the benefit from vaccination in an older population.

Herpes Zoster is a painful and debilitating disease caused by the reactivation of Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), the causative agents of chicken pox. This review summarizes our current understanding of the virus life cycle, the immune response during both chickenpox and herpes zoster.

We then review vaccines against herpes zoster that have been approved and those that are in the pipeline. Finally, we discuss animal models that can be used to develop novel vaccine strategies and gain additional insight into interactions between host and VZV.