The early stages of life are associated with increased susceptibility to infection, which is in part due to an ineffective immune system. In the context of infection, the immune system must be stimulated to provide efficient protection while avoiding insufficient or excessive activation. Yet, in early life, age-dependent immune regulation at molecular and cellular levels contributes to a reduced immunological fitness in terms of pathogen clearance and response to vaccines. To enable microbial colonization to be tolerated at birth, epigenetic immune cell programming and early life-specific immune regulatory and effector mechanisms ensure that vital functions and organ development are supported and that tissue damage is avoided. Advancement in our understanding of age-related remodelling of immune networks and the consequent tuning of immune responsiveness will open up new possibilities for immune intervention and vaccine strategies that are designed specifically for early life.

生命的早期阶段与感染的易感性增加有关，部分原因是免疫系统无效。在感染的情况下，必须刺激免疫系统以提供有效的保护，同时避免激活不足或过度。然而，在生命的早期，在病原体清除和对疫苗的反应方面，分子和细胞水平的年龄依赖性免疫调节有助于降低免疫学适应性。为了能够在出生时耐受微生物定植，表观遗传的免疫细胞程序设计和早期生命特异性免疫调节和效应器机制可确保支持重要功能和器官发育，并避免组织损伤。