Childhood immune imprinting to influenza A shapes birth year-specific risk during seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 epidemics.

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Childhood influenza exposures leave an immunological imprint, which has reverberating, lifelong impacts on immune memory. Foundational work on original antigenic sin and antigenic seniority shows that individuals maintain the highest antibody titers against influenza strains encountered in childhood. But how these serological patterns map to functional immune protection, and shape birth year-specific risk during outbreaks, remains an active area of inquiry. One open question is the breadth of cross-protection provided by immune memory imprinted in childhood.

journals.plos.org/plospatho...

[SORRELHIPPO]

I have just gone bug eyed and brain fevered trying to understand the text, graphs at bit easier, seems to show that my risk is lower at 67 than some younger people, but higher than many younger. then need to factor in that a lot of my childhood was spent in west Africa, so maybe absent for some of the infections that could have affected my immune system, Oh boy do I need a new brain. Thanks for this.