Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children and older adults. Yet knowledge on the development of pneumococcal protein-specific antibody responses throughout life is limited. To investigate this, we measured serum IgG levels to 55 pneumococcal proteins in 11-month old infants (n=73), 24-month old children (n=101), parents (n=99), adults without children <6 years of age (n= 99) and older adults aged >60 years (n=100). Our findings revealed low IgG levels in infancy, with distinct development patterns peaking in adults. A decrease in levels was observed for 27 antigens towards older age. Adults and older adults had increased IgG levels during pneumococcal carriage and at increased exposure risk to S. pneumoniae. Carriage was a stronger predictor than exposure or age for antibody responses. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of naturally acquired humoral immunity to pneumococcal proteins throughout life, offering insights for age-targeted interventions.

中文翻译：

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肺炎球菌蛋白的血清学分析揭示了一生中抗体获得、维持和减弱的独特模式

肺炎链球菌是儿童和老年人发病和死亡的主要原因。然而，关于一生中肺炎球菌蛋白特异性抗体反应的发展的知识是有限的。为了研究这一点，我们测量了 11 个月大的婴儿 (n=73)、24 个月大的儿童 (n=101)、父母 (n=99)、没有孩子的 6 岁以下成人的血清 IgG 水平，其中包含 55 种肺炎球菌蛋白年龄(n＝99)和年龄>60岁的老年人(n＝100)。我们的研究结果显示，婴儿期 IgG 水平较低，但在成人时具有不同的发育模式。观察到 27 种抗原的水平随着年龄的增长而下降。成人和老年人在肺炎球菌携带过程中 IgG 水平升高，接触肺炎链球菌的风险也增加。对于抗体反应来说，携带是比暴露或年龄更强的预测因素。这些发现强调了终生对肺炎球菌蛋白自然获得的体液免疫的动态性质，为针对年龄的干预措施提供了见解。