Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both developed
and developing countries. The current pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPS) vaccine is
highly effective in young adults; however, vaccine efficacy is dramatically decreased in the
elderly population. We hypothesized that the decreased vaccine efficacy in the elderly
results from altered variable gene family usage. We have characterized the immunoglobulin
G gene usage of the antibody response to PPS4 and PPS14 in 20 young and 20 elderly …

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human bacterial pathogen responsible for serious infections
including pneumonia. The currently licensed polysaccharide vaccine provides 60 to 80%
protection in young adults, but in the elderly the vaccine efficacy is drastically reduced
despite normal antibody levels. We hypothesized that the reduced vaccine efficacy in the
elderly results from altered variable gene family usage. We have analyzed the light chain
gene usage in 20 young (20 to 30 years of age) and 20 elderly (65 to 86 years of age) adults …