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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #218629
Title: Age Increases Susceptibility to Salmonella typhimurium Infection in C57BL/6 Mice: Role of the Immune System

Author
item REN, ZHIHONG - JM USDA HNRCA @ TUFTS
item GAY, RAINA - JM USDA HNRCA @ TUFTS
item THOMAS, ADAM - JM USDA HNRCA @ TUFTS
item PAE, MUNKYONG - JM USDA HNRCA @ TUFTS
item LOGSDON, LAUREN - JM USDA HNRCA @ TUFTS
item MECSAS, JOAN - JM USDA HNRCA @ TUFTS
item Meydani, Simin

Submitted to: Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2007
Publication Date: 4/5/2008
Citation: Ren, Z., Gay, R., Thomas, A., Pae, M., Logsdon, L., Mecsas, J., Meydani, S. 2008. Age Increases Susceptibility to Salmonella typhimurium Infection in C57BL/6 Mice: Role of the Immune System. Experimental Biology Annual Meeting. Abstract No. 675.26.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Aging is associated with a decline in immune function, which predisposes the elderly to higher incidence of infections. Enterocolitis caused by Salmonella typhimurium (ST) infection is one of the most common foodborne diseases in US. We used streptomycin-pretreated C57BL mice infected with ST to study the age-specific differences in resistance and early immune response to ST. After young and old mice were inoculated orally with 3×10**8 or 8 ×10**5 cfu of ST, old mice had significantly greater ST colonization in ileum, colon, peyer’s patches, spleen and liver. Ex vivo production of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma from old ST infected mice was significantly less than those from young infected mice. Spleens and MLN from young mice had significantly higher percentage of NK cells and neutrophils in response to infection than old mice. Old mice, but not young mice infected with ST, had lower total number of intracellular IFN- gamma and TNF-a producing Mf than non-infected mice. Young mice, but not old mice infected with ST, had higher total number of intracellular IFN- gamma producing NK cells and neutrophils compared to non-infected mice. These data show that old mice are more susceptible to ST infection than young mice, which might be due to impaired IFN- gamma and TNF- alpha production from NK cells, neutrophils and Mf in response' to infection. Further studies are needed to determine the underlying mechanisms of impaired IFN- gamma and TNF- alpha production to ST with age.